"^J 


CAPTAIN   HATTERAS. 


JULES    VERNE. 


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'The  brig  was  tossed  about  like  a  child's  toy."—  Page  134. 


AT 


THE  NORTH  POLE; 


OR,   THE 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF 

JULES   VERNE. 

WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  RIOU, 


PHILADELPHIA : 
PORTER   &   COATES, 


Copyright,  1874. 
Bt  JAMES   R.  OSGOOD  k  CO. 


1^7  H- 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  Page 

I.  The  Forwakd 3 

II.  An  Unexpected  Letter. 12 

ill.  De.  Clawbonny 14 

IV.  The  Dog-Captain 22 

V.  At  Sea                 29 

VI.  The  Great  Polar  Current   ......  38 

VII.  The  Entrance  of  Davis  Strait 45 

VIII.  The  Talk  of  the  Crew 53 

IX.  Another  Letter 63 

X.  Dangerous  Sailing         . 69 

XI.  The  Devil's  Thumb .78 

XII.  Captain  Hattp:ras 86 

XIII.  The  Captain's  Plans  .        .        .  " 95 

XIV.  The  Expeditions  in  Search  of  Franklin    ...  102 
XV.  The  Forward  driven  Southward 109 

XVI.  The  Magnetic  Pole 116 

XVII.  The  Fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin 124 

XVIII.  The  Way  Northward 129 

XIX.  A  Whale  in  Sight 134 

XX.  Beechey  Island 139 

XXL  The  Death  of  B«i4Uair-fc^.r~»*^.r^.        .        •  .147 


Wi23636 


vi  CONTENTS. 

XXII.   The  First  Signs  of  Mutiny 155 

XXIII.  Attacked  by  the  Ice      .        .        .        .        .        .        .161 

XXIV.  Preparations  for  Wintering 169 

XXV.   One  of  James  Ross's  Foxes 176 

XXVI.   The  Last  Piece  of  Coal 185 

XXVII.   The  Great  Cold  at  Christmas 191 

XXVIII.   Preparations  for  Departure 198 

XXIX.   Across  the  Ice-Fields 202 

XXX.   The  Cairn 211 

XXXI.   The  Death  of  Simpson 218 

XXXII.   The  Return  to  the  Forward 224 


LIST  OF  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


Page 
**  Johnson  knew  all  the  sailors  in  Liverpool,  and  immediately 

set  about  engaging  a  crew  " 16 

"Everything  was  enveloped  in  one  of  the  ordinary  fogs  of 

THAT  region  " 18 

**  This  space  of  six  feet  square  contained  incalculable  wealth  "      23 

**The  news  spread  immediately  throughout  the  city,  and  a 

great  concourse  of  spectators  thronged  the  piers  "         .  27 

*'  Towards  evening  the  brig  doubled  the  Calf  of  Man  "     .        .29 

"Would  one  not  say  it  was  a  foreign  city,  an  Eastern  city, 

with  minarets  and  mosques  in  the  moonlight  "     .        .        .50 

"Fortunately  the  opening  of  these  huts  was  too  small,  and 

THE  enthusiastic  DOCTOR  COULD  NOT  GET  THROUGH  "  .  .         71 

*•  A  STRANGE  ANIMAL  WAS  BOUNDING  ALONG  WITHIN  A  CABLE's  LENGTH 

from  the  ship  " 85 

"  John  Hatteras  " 95 

"  He   CAUGHT  A  LARGE  NUMBER  OF   WHITE   FOXES  ;    HE   HAD    PUT    ON 

THEIR  NECKS'COPPER  collars" 106 

"All    THESE    POOR   FELLOWS    HAD    DIED  OF  MISERY,    SUFFERING,    AND 

STARVATION  "  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       128 

"  The  brig  was  tossed  about  like  a  child's  toy  "       (Frontispiece)  134 

"  The  whale  swam  away  from  the  brig  and  hastened  towards 

THE  MOVING  ICEBERGS  " 138 

"  The  Forward  IN  Wellington  Channel  " 148 

HaTTERAS   made   USE   OF  A   DEVICE  WHICH   WHALERS   EMPLOY        .  153 

"A  CRASH   WAS    HEARD,    AND   AS    IT   CAME   AGAINST   THE   STARBOARD 

QUARTER,   PART  OF  THE  RAIL  HAD  GIVEN  WAY  "     .  .  .  .       167 

2 


viii  LIST  OF  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

"  The  moon  shone  with  incomparable  purity,  glistening  on  the 

least  roughness  in  the  ice  " 180 

"Almost  every  night  the  doctor  could  observe  the  magnifi- 
cent AURORAS  " 187 

"  He  was  armed,  and  he  kept  constant  guard,  without  minding 

THE  cold,  the  snow,  OR  THE  ICE  " 195 

*'  The  LITTLE  BAND  MADE  THEIR  WAY  TOWARDS  THE  SOUTHEAST  "  .  202 

"The    DOCTOR    had    energy    enough    to    ascend    AN    ICE-MOUNTAIN 

WHILE  THE  SNOW-HUT  WAS  building" 206 

"Tire  !'    SHOUTED  THE  CAPTAIN,  DISCHARGING  HIS  piece"        .  .      211 

"  They  could  only  think  of  their  perilous  position  "  .  .  218 
"  Suddenly,  with  a  last  effort,  he  half  rose  "  .  .  .  .  223 
"Then  a  terrible  explosion  was  heard"       ....         230 


THE   FORWARD. 


*'  To-morrow,  at  the  turn  of  the  tide,  the  brig  F(yrwardy  K.  Z., 
captain,  Richard  Shandon,  mate,  will  clear  from  New  Prince's 
Docks ;  destination  unknown." 

This  announcement  appeared  in  the  Liverpool  Herald  of  April 
5,  1860. 

The  sailing  of  a  brig  is  not  a  matter  of  great  importance  for 
the  chief  commercial  city  of  England.  Who  would  take  notice 
of  it  in  so  great  a  throng  of  ships  of  all  sizes  and  of  every  country, 
that  dry-docks  covering  two  leagues  scarcely  contain  them  1 

Nevertheless,  from  early  morning  on  the  6th  of  April,  a  large 
crowd  collected  on  the  quays  of  the  New  Prince  s  Docks  ;  all  the 
sailors  of  the  place  seemed  to  have  assembled  there.  The  work- 
ingmen  of  the  neighboring  wharves  had  abandoned  their  tasks, 
tradesmen  had  left  their  gloomy  shops,  and  the  merchants  their 
empty  warehouses.  The  many-colored  omnibuses  which  pass  out- 
side of  the  docks  were  discharging,  every  minute,  their  load  of 


4  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

sight-seers;  the  whole  city  seemed  to  care  for  nothing  except 
watching  the  departure  of  the  Forward. 

The  Forward  was  a  vessel  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  tons, 
rigged  as  a  brig,  and  carrying  a  screw  and  a  steam-engine  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  horse-power.  One  would  have  very  easily 
confounded  it  with  the  other  brigs  in  the  harbor.  But  if  it  pre- 
sented no  especial  difference  to  the  eye  of  the  public,  yet  those 
who  were  familiar  with  ships  noticed  certain  peculiarities  which 
could  not  escape  a  sailor's  keen  glance. 


Thus,  on  the  Naiitilns,  which  was  lying  at  anchor  near  her,  a 
group  of  sailors  were  trying  to  make  out  the  probable  destination 
of  the  Forward. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  her  masts  ? "  said  one  ;  "  steamers  don't 
usually  carry  so  much  sail." 

"  It  must  be,"  answered  a  red-faced  quartermaster,  "  that  she 
relies  more  on  her  sails  than  on  her  engine  ;  and  if  her  topsails  are 
of  that  size,  it  's  probably  because  the  lower  sails  are  to  be  laid 
back.  So  I  'm  sure  the  Forward  is  going  either  to  the  Arctic  or 
Antarctic  Ocean,  where  the  icebergs  stop  the  wind  more  than  suits 
a  solid  ship." 

"  You  must  be  right,  Mr,  Comhill,"  said  a  third  sailor.  *'  Do 
yon  notice  how  straight  her  stem  is  *? " 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  5 

"  Besides,"  said  Mr.  Cornhill,  "  she  carries  a  steel  ram  forward, 
as  sharp  as  a  razor ;  if  the  Forward,  going  at  full  speed,  should 
inin  into  a  three-decker,  she  would  cut  her  in  two." 

"That's  true,"  answered  a  Mersey  pilot,  "for  that  brig  can 
easily  run  fourteen  knots  under  steam.  She  was  a  sight  to  see  on 
her  trial  trip.     On  my  word,  she  's  a  swift  boat." 

"And  she  goes  well,  too,  under  sail,"  continued  the  quarter- 
master ;  "  close  to  the  wind,  and  she  's  easily  steered.  Now  that 
ship  is  going  to  the  polar  seas,  or  my  name  is  not  Cornhill.  And 
then,  see  there !  Do  you  notice  that  large  helm-port  over  the 
head  of  her  rudder  % " 

"That's  so,"  said  some  of  the  sailors  j  "but  what  does  that 
prove  1 " 

"That  proves,  my  men,"  replied  the  quartermaster  with  a 
scornful  smile,  "that  you  can  neither  see  nor  think;  it  proves 
that  they  wanted  to  leave  the  head  of  the  rudder  free,  so  that  it 
might  be  unshipped  and  shipped  again  easily.  Don't  you  know 
that  's  what  they  have  to  do  very  often  in  the  ice  1 " 

"  You  are  right,"  answered  the  sailors  of  the  Nautilus. 

"  And  besides,"  said  one,  "  the  lading  of  the  brig  goes  to  prove 
what  Mr.  Cornhill  has  said.  I  heard  it  from  Clifton,  who  has 
shipped  on  her.  The  Forward  carries  provisions  for  five  or  six 
years,  and  coal  in  proportion.  Coal  and  provisions  are  all  she 
carries,  and  a  quantity  of  woollen  and  sealskin  clothing." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Cornhill,  "  there  's  no  doubt  about  it.  But, 
my  friend,  since  you  know  Clifton,  has  n't  he  told  you  where 
she  's  bound  % " 

"  He  could  n't  tell  me,  for  he  did  n't  know ;  the  whole  crew 
was  shipped  in  that  way.  Where  is  he  going  %  He  won't  know 
till  he  gets  there." 

"  Nor  yet  if  they  are  going  to  Davy  Jones's  locker,"  said  one 
scoffer,  "  as  it  seems  to  me  they  are." 

'*  But  then,  their  pay,"  continued  the  friend  of  Clifton  enthu- 
siastically, —  "  their  pay  !  it  's  five  times  what  a  sailor  usually 
gets.  If  it  had  not  been  for  that,  Eichard  Shandon  would  not 
have  got  a  man.  A  strangely  shaped  boat,  going  no  one  knows 
where,  and  as  if  it  never  intended  coming  back !  As  for  me,  I 
should  not  have  cared  to  ship  in  her." 


6  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"Whether  you  would  or  not,"  answered  Mr.  ComhiH,   "you 
could  never  have  shipped  in  the  Forward.''^ 
"Why  not?" 

"  Because  you  would  not  have  answered  the  conditions.  I 
heard  that  married  men  were  not  taken.  Now  you  belong  to 
that  class.  So  you  need  not  say  what  you  would  or  would  not 
do,  since  it  's  all  breath  thrown  away." 

The  sailor  who  was  thus  snubbed  burst  out  laughing,  as  did 
his  companions,  showing  in  this  way  that  Mr.  Cornhill's  remarks 
were  true. 

"  There  's  nothing  but  boldness 
about  the  ship,"  continued  Cornhill, 
well  pleased  with  himself.  "  The  For- 
ward,—  forward  to  what?  Without 
saying  that  nobody  knows  who  her 
captain  is." 

"  0,  yes,  they  do  1 "  said  a  young 
sailor,  evidently  a  green-hand. 
"  What  !     They  do  know  ? " 
"  Of  course." 

"  My  young  friend,"  said  Cornhill, 
"  do  you  think  Shandon  is  the  captain  of  the  Forward  ?  " 
"  Why  —  "  answered  the  boy. 

"  Shandon  is  only  the  mate,  nothing  else  ;  he  *s  a  good  and 
brave  sailor,  an  old  whaler,  a  good  fellow,  able  to  take  command, 
but  he  's  not  the  captain  ;  he  's  no  more  captain  than  you  or  I. 
And  who,  under  God,  is  going  to  have  charge  of  the  ship,  he 
does  not  know  in  the  least.  At  the  proper  time  the  captain  will 
come  aboard,  I  don't  know  how,  and  I  don't  know  where ;  for 
Richard  Shandon  did  n't  tell  me,  nor  has  he  leave  to  tell  me  in 
what  direction  he  was  first  to  sail." 

"  Stiir,  Mr.  Cornhill,"  said  the  young  sailor,  "  I  can  tell  you 
that  there  's  some  one  on  board,  some  one  who  was  spoken  of  in 
the  letter  in  which  Mr.  Shandon  was  offered  the  place  of  mate." 

"  What ! "  answered  Cornhill,  "  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that 
the  Forward  has  a  captain  on  board?" 
"Yes,  Mr.  Cornhill." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 

'<■  You  tell  me  that  % " 

"  Certainly,  for  1  heard  it  from  Johnson,  the  boatswain." 

"  Boatswain  Johnson  1 " 

"  Yes,  he  told  me  himself." 

"  Johnson  told  you  % " 

"  Not  only  did  he  tell  me,  but  he  showed  him  to  me." 

"  He  showed  him  to  you  ! "  answered  Cornhill  in  amazement. 


**  He  showed  him  to  me." 

"  And  you  saw  him  % " 

"  I  saw  him  with  my  own  eyes." 

''And  who  is  it r' 

"  It 's  a  dog." 

"  A  dog  % " 


8  TEE  ADVEI^UEES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"A  four-footed  dog?" 

"Yes." 

The  surprise  of  the  sailors  of  the  Nautilus  was  great.  Under 
any  other  circumstances  they  would  have  burst  out  laughing. 
A  dog  captain  of  a  one  hundred  and  seventy  ton  brig  !  It  was 
certainly  amusing  enough.  But  the  Forward  was  such  an  extraor- 
dinary ship,  that  one  thought  twice  before  laughing,  and  before 
contradicting  it.  Besides,  Quartermaster  Comhill  showed  no  signs 
of  laughing. 

"  And  Johnson  showed  you  that  new  sort  of  captain,  a  dog  ] " 
he  said  to  the  young  sailor.     "  And  you  saw  him  ?" 

"  As  plainly  as  I  see  you,  with  all  respect." 

*'  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  that  1 "  asked  the  sailors,  turning 
to  Cornhill. 

"  I  don't  think  anything,"  he  answered  curtly,  "  except  that 
the  Forward  is  a  ship  of  the  Devil,  or  of  fools  fit  for  Bedlam." 

Without  saying  more,  the  sailors  continued  to  gaze  at  the  For- 
ward,  which  was  now  almost  ready  to  depart ;  and  there  was  no 
one  of  them  who  presumed  to  say  that  Johnson,  the  boatswain, 
had  been  making  fun  of  the  young  sailor. 

This  story  of  the  dog  had  already  spread  through  the  city,  and 
in  the  crowd  of  sight-seers  there  were  many  looking  for  the  cap- 
tain-dog, who  were  inclined  to  believe  that  he  was  some  sut)er- 
natural  animal. 

Besides,  for  many  months  the  Forward  had  been  attracting 
the  public  attention  ;  the  singularity  of  its  build,  the  myst  ,ry 
which  enshrouded  it,  the  incognito  maintained  by  the  captpin, 
the  manner  in  which  Richard  Shandon  received  the  proposition 
of  superintending  its  outfit,  the  careful  selection  of  the  crew,  'ts 
unknown  destination,  scarcely  conjectured  by  any,  —  all  com- 
bined to  give  this  brig  a  reputation  of  something  more  than 
strangeness. 

For  a  thoughtful,   dreamy  mind,   for  a  philosopher,  ther 
hardly  anything  more  touching  than  the  departure  of  a  ship ; 
imagination  is  ready   to  follow  her   in  her  struggles  with 
waves,  her  contests  with  the  winds,  in  her  perilous  course,  wl 
does  not  always  end  in  port ;  and  if  only  there  is  something  . 


i 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  9 

usual  about  her,  the  ship  appears  like  something  fantastic,  even 
to  the  least  imaginative  minds. 

So  it  was  with  the  Forward.  And  if  most  of  the  spectators 
were  unable  to  make  the  ingenious  remarks  of  Quartermaster 
Cornhill,  the  rumors  which  had  been  prevailing  for  three  months 
were  enough  to  keep  all  the  tongues  of  Liverpool  busy. 

The  brig  had  been  built  at  Birkenhead,  a  suburb  of  the  city  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Mersey,  and  connected  with  it  by  numerous 
ferry-boats. 

The  builders,  Scott  &  Co.,  as  skilful  as  any  in  England,  had 
received  from  Richard  6handon  careful  plans  and  drawings,  in 
which  the  tonnage,  dimensions,  and  model  of  the  brig  were  given 
with  the  utpaost  exactness.  They  bore  proof  of  the  work  of  an 
experienced  sailor.  Since  Shandon  had  ample  means  at  his  com- 
mand, the  work  began,  and,  in  accordance  with  the  orders  of  the 
unknown  owner,  proceeded  rapidly. 

Every  care  was  taken  to  have  the  brig  made  exceedingly 
strong ;  it  was  evidently  intended  to  withstand  enormous  press- 
ure, for  its  ribs  of  teak,  an  East  Indian  wood  remarkable  for  its 
solidity,  were  further  strengthened  by  thick  iron  braces.  The 
sailors  used  to  ask  why  the  hull  of  a  ship,  which  was  intended  to 
be  so  strong,  was  not  made  of  iron  like  other  steamers.  But 
tb  3y  were  told  that  the  mysterious  designer  had  his  own  reasons 
for  having  it  built  in  that  way. 

.Gradually  the  shape  of  the  brig  on  the  stocks  could  be  clearly 
n^ade  out,  and  the  strength  and  beauty  of  her  model  were  clear 
to  the  eye  of  all  competent  judges.  As  the  sailors  of  the  Nauti- 
l  iS  had  said,  her  stem  formed  a  right  angle  with  the  keel,  and 
she  carried,  not  a  ram,  but  a  steel  cutter  from  the  foundry  of 
1 .  Hawthorn,  of  Newcastle.  This  metallic  prow,  glistening  in  the 
sun,  gave  a  singular  appearance  to  the  brig,  although  there  was 
"othing  warlike  about  it.  However,  a  sixteen-pound  gun  was 
'  ',ced  on  her  forecastle ;    its  carriage  was  so  arranged  that  it 

dd  be  pointed  in  any  direction.     The  same  thing  can  be  said 
X  the  cannon  as  of  her  bows,  neither  were  positively  warlike. 
-  .  On  the  5th  of  February,  1860,  this  strange  vessel  was  success- 
;.Tly  launched  in  the  sight  of  an  immense  number  of  spectators. 


10 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  RAT T ERAS. 


But  if  the  brig  was  not  a  mau-of-vvar,  nor  a  merchant-vessel, 
nor  a  pleasure-jacht,  for  no  one  takes  a  pleasure  trip  with  pro- 
visions for  six  years  in  the  hold,  wliat  could  she  be  ] 


A  ship  intended  for  the  search  of  the  Erebus  and  the  Terror, 
and  of  Sir  John  Franklin  1  No;  for  in  1859,  the  previous  year, 
Captain  MacClintock  had  returned  from  the  Arctic  Ocean,  wdth 
convincing  proof  of  the  loss  of  that  ill-fated  expedition. 

Did  the  Forward  want  to  try  again  the  famous  Northwest 
Passage?  What  for?  Captain  MacCiure  had  discovered  it  in 
1853,  and  his  lieutenant,  Cresswell,  had  the  honor  of  first  skirt- 
ing the  American  continent  from  Behring  Strait  to  Davis  Strait. 

It  was  nevertheless  absolutely  certain  to  all  competent  observ- 
ers that  the  Forward  was  preparing  for  a  voyage  to  icy  regions. 
Was  it  going  to  push  towards  the  South  Pole,  farther  than  the 
whaler  Wedcll,  farther  than  Captain  James  Ross  %  But  what  was 
the  use,  and  with  what  intention? 

It  is  easy  to  see  that,  although  the  field  for  conjecture  was 
very  limited,  the  imagination  could  easily  lose  itself 

The  day  after  the  launching  of  the  brig  her  machinery  arrived 
from  the  foundry  of  R.  Hawthorn  at  Newcastle. 

The  engine,  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  hoi-se-power,  with 
oscillating  cylinders,  took  up  but  little  space ;  its  force  was  large 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  H 

for  a  vessel  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  tons,  which  carried  a 
great  deal  of  sail,  and  was,  besides,  remarkably  swift.  Of  her 
speed  the  trial  trips  left  no  doubt,  and  even  the  boatswain,  John- 
son, had  seen  fit  to  express  his  opinion  to  the  friend  of  Clifton  in 
these  terms,  — 

"When  the  Forward  is  under  both  steam  and  sail,  she  gets 
the  most  speed  from  her  sails." 

Clifton's  friend  had  not  understood  this  proposition,  but  he  con- 
sidered anything  possible  in  a  ship  commanded  by  a  dog. 

After  the  engines  had  been  placed  on  board,  the  stowage  of 
provisions  began ;  and  that  was  no  light  task,  for  she  carried 
enough  for  six. years.  They  consisted  of  salted  and  dried  meatus, 
smoked  fish,  biscuit,  and  flour ;  mountains  of  coffee  and  tea  were 
deposited  in  the  store-room.  Richard  Shandon  superintended 
the  arrangement  of  this  precious  cargo  with  the  air  of  a  man 
who  perfectly  understood  his  business  ;  everything  was  put  in  its 
place,  labelled,  and  numbered  with  perfect  precision ;  at  the  same 
time  there  was  stowed  away  a  large  quantity  of  pemmican,  an 
Indian  preparation,  which  contains  a  great  deal  of  nutriment  in  a 
small  compass. 

This  sort  of  supply  left  no  doubt  as  to  the  length  of  the  cruise ; 
but  ah  experienced  observer  would  have  known  at  once  that  the 
Forward  was  to  sail  in  polar  waters,  from  the  barrels  of  lime- 
juice,  of  lime  lozenges,  of  bundles  of  mustard,  sorrel,  and  of  coch- 
learia,  —  in  a  word,  from  the  abundance  of  powerful  antiscorbutics, 
which  are  so  necessary  in  journeys  in  the  regions  of  the  far  north 
and  south.  Shandon  had  doubtless  received  word  to  take  partic- 
ular care  about  this  part  of  the  cargo,  for  he  gave  to  it  especial 
attention,  as  well  as  to  the  ship's 

hand,   the  magazine   was   filled      JillPIII)wyF^pM|MK^^= 

some    uneasiness.      The    single      ^  in  L^jaiii  :^ 

gun  on  the  forecastle  could  not  pretend  to  require  so  large  a 


12  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

supply.  This  excited  curiosity.  There  were,  besides,  enormous 
saws  and  strong  machinery,  such  as  levers,  masses  of  lead,  hand- 
saws, huge  axes,  etc.,  without  counting  a  respectable  number 
of  blasting-cylinders,  which  might  have  blown  up  the  Liverpool 
custom-house.  All  this  was  strange,  if  not  alarming,  not  to  men- 
tion the  rockets,  signals,  lights,  and  lanterns  of  every  sort. 

Then,  too,  the  numerous  spectators  on  the  quays  of  the  New 
Prince's  Docks  gazed  with  admiration  at  a  long  mahogany  whale- 
boat,  a  tin  canoe  covered  with  gutta-percha,  and  a  number  of  hal- 
kett-boats,  which  are  a  sort  of  india-rubber  cloaks,  which  can  be 
inflated  and  thereby  turned  into  canoes.  Every  one  felt  more 
and  more  puzzled,  and  even  excited,  for  with  the  turn  of  the  tide 
the  Forward  was  to  set  sail  for  its  unknown  destination. 


CHAPTER    II. 

AN    UNEXPECTED   LETTER. 

This  is  a  copy  of  the  letter  received  by  Richard  Shandon  eight 
months  previously  :  — 

Aberdeen,  August  2,  1859. 
Mr.  Richard  Shandon,  Liverpool. 

Sir,  —  This  letter  is  to  advise  you  of  a  remittance  of  ;£  16,000,  de- 
posited with   Messrs.    Marcuart  & 
Co.,  bankers,   at    Liverpool.      En- 
closed you  will  find    a   series  of 
drafts,   signed  by  me,  which  will 
enable  you  to  draw  upon   Messrs. 
Marcuart  &    Co.    to    the    amount 
mentioned  above. 
You  do  not  know  me.     No  mat- 
ter ;  I  know  you,  and  that  is  enough. 
I  offer  you  the  position  of  mate  on  board  of  the  brig  Forward^  for  a 
voyage  which  may  be  long  and  perilous. 

If  you  decline,  well  and  good.  If  you  accept,  five  hundred  pounds 
will  be  assigned  you  as  salary,  and  at  the  end  of  each  year  of  the  voyage 
your  pay  will  be  increased  one  tenth. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH   POLE.  13 

The  brig  Forward  d(3es  not  exist.  You  will  be  obliged  to  have  it 
built  so  that  it  will  be  possible  to  set  to  sea  in  the  beginning  of  April, 
1860,  at  the  latest.  Enclosed  is  a  drawing  with  estimates.  You  will 
follow  them  exactly.  The  ship  will  be  built  in  the  stocks  of  Scott  & 
Co.,  who  will  arrange  everythijig  with  you. 

I  beg  of  you  to  be  specially  cautious  in  selecting  the  crew  of  the 
Forward ;  it  will  consist  of  a  captain  (myself),  a  mate  (you),  a  second 
mate,  a  boatswain,  two  engineers,  an  ice-master,  eight  sailors,  two 
stokers,  in  all  eighteen  men,  including  Dr.  Clawbonny  of  this  city,  who 
will  join  you  at  the  proper  time. 

Those  who  are  shipped  on  board  of  the  Forward  must  be  English- 
men, independent,  with  no  family  ties,  single  and  temperate  ;  for  the  use 
of  spirits,  and  even  of  beer,  will  be  strictly  forbidden  on  shipboard  : 
the  men  must  be  ready  to  undertake  and  endure  everything. 

In  your  selection  you  will  prefer  those  of  a  sanguine  temperament, 
and  80  inclined  to  maintain  a  higher  degree  of  animal  heat. 

You  will  offer  the  crew  five  times  their  usual  pay,  to  be  increased 
one  tenth  at  the  end  of  each  year.  At  the  end  of  the  voyage  each  one 
shall  receive  five  hundred  pounds,  and  you  yourself  two  thousand. 
The  requisite  sum  shall  be  deposited  with  the  above-named  Messrs. 
Marcuart  &  Co. 

The  voyage  will  be  long  and  difficult,  but  one  sure  to  bring  renown. 
You  need  not  hesitate,  then,  Mr.  Shandon. 

Send  your  answer  to  the  initials  K.  Z.,  at  Gottenburg,  Sweden, 
poste  restante. 


14  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

P.  S.  On  the  15th  of  February  next  you  will  receive  a  large  Dan- 
ish dog,  with  hanging  lips,  of  a  dark  tawny  color,  with  black  stripes 
running  crosswise.  You  will  find  place  for  him  on  board,  and  you  will 
feed  him  on  barley  bread  mixed  with  a  broth  of  lard.  You  will  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  this  dog  by  a  letter  to  the  same  initials  at 
Leghorn,  Italy. 

The  captain  of  the  Forward  will  appear  and  make  himself  known 
at  the  proper  time.  As  you  are  about  setting  sail  you  will  receive  new 
instructions.  t^  ^ 

Captain  of  the  Forward. 


CHAPTER    III. 

DR.    CLAWBONNY. 

Richard  Shandon  was  a  good  sailor ;  for  a  long  time  he  had 
commanded  whalers  in  the  Arctic  seas,  with  a  well-deserved  repu- 
tation throughout  all  Lancaster.  Such  a  letter  was  well  calcu- 
lated to  astonish  him ;  he  was  astonished,  it  is  true,  but  with  the 
calmness  of  a  man  who  is  accustomed  to  surprises. 

He  suited  all  the  required  conditions ;  no  wife,  child,  nor  rela- 
tives. He  was*as  independent  as  man  could  be.  There  being  no 
one  whose  opinion  he  needed  to  consult,  he  betook  himself  to 
Messrs.  Marcuart  &  Co. 

"  If  the  money  is  there,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  the  rest  is  all 
right." 

At  the  banking-house  he  was  received  with  the  respect  due  to 
a  man  who  has  sixteen  thousand  pounds  deposited  to  bis  credit ; 
having  made  that  point  sure,  Shandon  asked  for  a  sheet  of  white 
paper,  and  in  his  large  sailor's  handwriting  he  sent  his  accept- 
ance of  the  plan  to  the  address  given  above. 

That  very  day  he  made  the  necessary  arrangements  with  the 
builders  at  Birkenhead,  and  within  twenty-four  hours  the  keel  of 
the  Forward  was  laid  on  the  stocks. 

Richard  Shandon  was  a  man  about  forty  years  old,  strong,  en- 
ergetic, and  fearless,  three  qualities  most  necessary  for  a  sailor,  for 
they  give  him  confidence,  vigor,  and  coolness.     He  was  known  to 


"  Johnson  knew  all  the  sailors  in  Liverpool,  and  immediately  set  about  engaging 
a  crew."  —  Page  i6. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


15 


be  severe  and  very  hard  to  please ;  hence  he  was  more  feared 
than  loved  by  his  men.  But  this  reputation  was  not  calculated  to 
interfere  with  his  selection  of  a  crew,  for  he  was  known  to  be  skil- 
ful in  avoiding  trouble. 

Shandon  feared  that  the  mysterious  nature  of  the  expedition 
might  stand  in  his  way. 

"  In  that  case,"  he  said,  "  it 's  best  not  to  say  anything  about 
it ;  there  will  always  be  plenty  of  men  who  will  want  to  know  the 
why  and  the  wherefore  of  the  whole  matter,  and,  since  I  don't 
know  anything  about  it  myself,  I  should  find  it  hard  to  answer 
them.  This  K.  Z.  is  certainly  an  odd  stick  ;  but,  after  all,  he 
knows  me,  he  depends  on  me,  and  that  is  enough.  As  for  his 
ship,  it  will  be  a  good  one,  and  if  it 's  not  going  to  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  my  name  is  not  Kichard  Shandon.  But  I  shall  keep  that 
fact  for  myself  and  my  officers." 

Thereupon  Shandon  began  to  choose  his  crew,  bearing  in  mind 
the  captain's  wishes  about  the  independence  and  health  of  the 
men. 

He  knew  a  very  capital  fellow,  and  a  good  sailor,  James  Wall 
by  name.  Wall  might  have  been  about  thirty  years  old,  and 
had  already  made  some  voyages  in  the  north- 
ern seas.  Shandon  offered  him  the  place  of 
second  mate,  and  Wall  accepted  it  at  once ; 
all  he  cared  for  was  to  be  at  sea.  Shandon 
confided  all  the  details  of  the  affair  to  him 
and  to  a  certain  Johnson,  whom  he  took  as 
boatswain. 

"All  right,"  answered  James  Wall,  "that 's 
as  good  as  anything.  Even  if  it 's  to  seek  the 
Northwest  Passage,  some  have  come  back 
from  that." 

"  Not  all,"  said  Johnson,  "but  that 's  no  reason  that  we  should 
not  try  it." 

"  Besides,  if  our  guesses  are  right,"  said  Shandon,  "  it  must  be 
said  that  we  start  with  a  fair  chance  of  success.  The  Forward 
will  be  a  stanch  ship  and  she  will  carry  good  engines.  She  can 
go  a  great  distance.     We  want  a  crew  of  only  eighteen  men." 


16  THE  ADVENTURES   OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"  Eighteen  men,"  answered  Johnson  ;  "  that 's  the  number  the 
American,  Kane,  took  with  him  on  his  famous  voyage  towards  the 
North  Pole." 

"  It 's  strange,"  said  Wall,  "  that  a  private  person  should  try  to 
make  his  way  from  Davis  Strait  to  Behring  Strait.  The  expedi- 
tions in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin  have  already  cost  England 
more  than  seven  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  pounds,  without 
producing  any  practical  good.  Who  in  the  world  wants  to  throw 
away  his  money  for  such  a  purpose  "l " 

"  In  the  first  place,  James,"  answered  Shandon,  "  we  are  in  the 
dark  about  it  all.  I  don't  know  whether  w^e  are  going  to  the 
northern  or  the  southern  seas.  Perhaps  there  's  some  new  dis- 
covery to  be  tried.  At  any  rate,  some  day  or  other  a  Dr.  Claw- 
bonny  is  to  come  aboard  who  will  probably  know  more  about  it 
and  will  be  able  to  tell  us.     We  shall  see." 

"  Let  us  wait,  then,"  said  Johnson ;  "  as  for  me,  I  'm  going  to 
look  after  some  good  men,  and  1 11  answer  now  for  their  animal 
heat,  as  the  captain  calls  it.     You  can  depend  on  me." 

Johnson  was  an  invaluable  man ;  he  was  familiar  with  high 
latitudes.  He  had  been  quartermaster  aboard  of  the  PJioenix, 
which  belonged  to  one  of  the  expeditions  sent  out  in  1853  in 
search  of  Franklin ;  he  had  been  an  eye-witness  of  the  death  of 
the  French  lieutenant  Bellot,  whom  he  had  accompanied  in  his 
expedition  across  the  ice.  Johnson  knew  all  the  sailors  in  Liver- 
pool, and  immediately  set  about  engaging  a  crew. 

Shandon,  W^all,  and  he  succeeded  in  filling  the  number  by  the 
middle  of  December,  but  they  met  with  considerable  difficulty  ; 
many  who  were  attracted  by  the  high  pay  were  alarmed  by  the 
danger,  and  more  than  one  who  had  boldly  enlisted  came  later  to 
say  that  he  had  changed  his  mind  on  account  of  the  dissuasion  of 
his  friends.  They  all  tried  to  pierce  the  mystery,  and  pursued  Shan- 
don with  their  questions.     He  used  to  refer  them  to  Johnson. 

"  What  can  I  say,  my  man  % "  the  boatswain  used  to  answer ; 
"  I  don't  know  any  more  about  it  than  you  do.  At  any  Vate  you 
will  be  in  good  company,  with  men  who  won't  shirk  their  work ; 
that 's  something  !  So  don't  be  thinking  about  it  all  day  :  take 
it  or  leave  it !  "     And  the  greater  number  took  it. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  17 

"  You  understand,"  added  Johnson,  sometimes,  "  my  only 
trouble  is  in  making  my  choice.  High  pay,  such  as  no  sailor 
ever  had  before,  with  the  certainty  of  finding  a  round  sum  when 
we  get  back.     That 's  very  tempting." 

"  The  fact  is,"  answered  the  sailors,  "  that  it  is  hard  to  refuse. 
It  will  support  a  man  all  the  rest  of  his  life." 

"  I  won't  hide  from  you,"  continued  Johnson,  "  that  the  voyage 
will  be  long,  difficult,  and  dangerous ;  that 's  all  stated  in  our  in- 
structions ;  it 's  well  to  know  beforehand  what  one  undertakes  to 
do ;  probably  it 's  to  try  all  that  men  can  possibly  do,  and  per- 
haps even  more.  "So,  if  you  have  n't  got  a  bold  heart  and  a  strong 
body,  if  you  can't  say  you  have  more  than  twenty  chances  to  one 
of  staying  there,  if,  in  short,  you  are  particular  about  leaving 
your  body  in  one  place  more  than  another,  here  rather  than 
there,  get  away  from  here  and  let  some  bolder  man  have  your 
place  !  " 

"  But,  at  least,"  said  the  confused  sailor,  —  "  at  least,  you  know 
the  captain  ] " 

"  The  captain  is  Richard  Shandon,  my  friend,  until  we  receive 
another." 

Now  it  must  be  said  that  was  what  the  commander  thought ; 
he  allowed  himself  to  think  that  at  the  last  moment  he  would  re- 
ceive definite  instructions  as  to  the  object  of  the  voyage,  and  that 
he  would  remain  in  command  of  the  Forward.  He  was  fond  of 
spreading  this  opinion  about,  either  in  conversation  with  his  offi- 
cers or  in  superintending  the  building  of  the  brig,  of  which  the 
timbers  were  now  rising  in  the  Birkenhead  ship-yard  like  the 
sides  of  a  huge  whale. 

Shandon  and  Johnson  conformed  strictly  with  the  recommen- 
dation about  the  health  of  the  crew ;  they  all  looked  hardy  and 
possessed  enough  animal  heat  to  run  the  engines  of  the  Forward; 
their  elastic  limbs,  their  clear  and  ruddy  skin,  showed  that  they 
were  fit  to  encounter  intense  cold.  They  were  bold,  determined 
men,  energetic  and  stoutly  built ;  they  were  not  all  equally  vig- 
orous. Shandon  had  even  hesitated  about  accepting  some  of 
them  ;  for  instance,  the  sailors  Gripper  and  Garry,  and  the  har- 
pooner  Simpson,  who  seemed  to  him  too  thin  ;  but,  on  the  other 


18  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

hand,  they  were  well  built,  they  were  earnest  about  it,  and  they 
were  shipped. 

All  the  crew  were  members  of  the  same  church  ;  in  their  long 
voyage  their  prayers  and  the  reading  of  the  Bible  would  call  them 
together  and  console  them  in  the  hours  of  depression  ;  so  that  it 
was  advisable  that  there  should  be  no  diversity  on  this  score. 
Shandon  knew  from  experience  the  usefulness  of  this  practice 
and  its  good  influence  on  the  men,  so  valuable  that  it  is  never 
neglected  on  board  of  ships  which  winter  in  the  polar  seas. 

When  all  the  crew  had  been  engaged,  Shandon  and  his  two  offi- 
cers busied  themselves  with  the  provisions  ;  they  followed  closely 
the  captain's  instructions,  which  were  definite,  precise,  and  de- 
tailed, in  which  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  smallest  articles 
were  clearly  set  down.  Thanks  to  the  drafts  placed  at  the  com- 
mander's order,  every  article  was  paid  for,  cash  down,  with  a  dis- 
count of  eight  per  cent,  which  Richard  carefully  placed  to  the 
credit  of  K.  Z. 

Crew,  provisions,  and  outfit  were  all  ready  in  January,  1860 ; 
the  Forward  was  approaching  completion.  Shandon  never  let  a 
day  pass  without  visiting  Birkenhead. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  January  he  was,  as  usual,  on 
one  of  the  double-ended  ferry-boats  which  ply  between  the  two 
shores  of  the  Mersey  ;  everything  was  enveloped  in  one  of  the  or- 
dinary fogs  of  that  region,  which  compel  the  pilot  to  steer  by  com- 
pass, although  the  trip  is  one  of  but  ten  minutes. 

However,  the  thickness  of  the  fog  could  not  prevent  Shandon 
from  noticing  a  short,  rather  stout  man,  with  a  refined,  agreeable 
face  and  pleasant  expression,  who  came  towards  him,  seized  both 
his  hands,  and  pressed  them  with  a  warmth  and  familiarity  which 
a  Frenchman  would  have  said  was  "  very  southern." 

But  if  this  stranger  was  not  from  the  South,  he  had  escaped  it 
narrowly  ;  he  spoke  and  gesticulated  freely  ;  his  thoughts  seemed 
determined  to  find  expression,  even  if  they  had  to  burst  out.  His 
eyes,  small  like  the  eyes  of  witty  men,  his  large  and  mobile  mouth, 
were  safety-valves  which  enabled  him  to  rid  himself  of  too  strong 
a  pressure  on  his  feelings ;  he  talked ;  and  he  talked  so  much  and 
joyously,  that,  it  must  be  said,  Shandon  could  not  make  out  what 
he  was  saying. 


"  Everything  was  enveloped  in  one  of  the  ordinary  fogs  of  that  region."  —  Page  i8. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  I9 

Still  the  mate  of  the  Forward  was  not  slow  in  recognizing  this 
short  man  whom  he  had  never  seen  ;  it  =^^ 

flashed  into  his  mind,  and  the  moment   ^^^^^K  _  _^„i.s^|^fe 

"  The  same,  in  person,  Commander !  f-  nA^^^Sj^^^^^ 
For  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I  have  ^m^HBK^S^^^^^m 
been  looking  after  you,  asking  for  you  of  ,^^B^^HH^^^H 
every  one  and  everywhere.  Imagine  my  t^^^S^^s^^^^^H 
impatience.     Five   minutes   more  and  I  ^^°'"~''^^^^= — 

should  have  lost  my  head  !  So  this  is  you,  officer  Shandon  1  You 
really  exist  1  You  are  not  a  myth  %  Your  hand,  your  hand  !  Let 
me  press  it  again  in  mine  !  Yes,  that  is  indeed  the  hand  of  Rich- 
ard Shandon.  Now,  if  there  is  a  commander  Richard,  there  is  a 
brig  Forward  which  he  commands  ;  and  if  he  commands  it,  it  will 
sail ;  and  if  it  sails,  it  will  take  Dr.  Clawl)onny  on  board." 

"  Well,  yes,  Doctor,  I  am  Richard  Shandon,  there  is  a  brig  For- 
ward, and  it  will  sail." 

"  There  's  logic,"  answered  the  doctor,  taking  a  long  breath, 
—  "  there 's  logic.  So  I  am  delighted,  enchanted  !  For  a  long  time 
I  've  been  waiting  for  something  of  this  sort  to  turn  up,  and  I  've 
been  wanting  to  try  a  voyage  of  this  sort.     Now,  with  you  —  " 

"  Excuse  me  —  "  said  Shandon. 

"  With  you,"  continued  Clawbonny,  paying  him  no  attention, 
"  we  are  sure  of  going  far  without  turning  round." 

"  But  —  "  began  Shandon. 

"  For  you  have  shown  what  stuff  you  are  made  of,  and  I  know 
all  you  've  done.     Ah,  you  are  a  good  sailor  !  " 

"  If  you  please  —  " 

"  No,  I  sha'  n't  let  your  courage  and  skill  be  doubted  for  a 
moment,  even  by  yourself.  The  captain  who  chose  you  for  mate 
is  a  man  who  knew  what  he  was  about ;  I  can  tell  you  that." 

"  But  that  is  not  the  question,"  said  Shandon,  impatiently. 

"  What  is  it,  then  1     Don't  keep  me  anxious  any  longer." 

*'  But  you  won't  let  me  say  a  word.  Tell  me.  Doctor,  if  you 
please,  how  you  came  to  join  this  expedition  of  the  Forward  ?  " 


20  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"  By  a  letter,  a  capital  letter ;  here  it  is,  —  the  letter  of  a  brave 
captain,  very  short,  but  very  fall." 

With  these  words  he  handed  Shandon  a  letter  running  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

Inverness,  January  22,  1860. 
To  Dr.  Clawbonny,  Liverpool. 

If  Dr.  Clawbonny  wishes  to  sail  on  the  Forward  for  a  long  voyage, 

he  can  present  himself  to  the  mate,  Richard  Shandon,  who  has  been 

advised  concerning  him. 

K.  Z., 

Captain  of  the  Forward. 

"  The  letter  reached  me  this  morning,  and  I  'm  now  ready  to 
go  on  board  of  the  Forward.^' 

"  But,"  continued  Shandon,  "  I  suppose  you  know  whither  we 
are  bound." 

"  Not  the  least  idea  in  the  world ;  but  what  difference  does  it 
make,  provided  I  go  somewhere  1  They  say  I  'm  a  learned  man ; 
they  are  wrong ;  I  don't  know  anything,  and  if  I  have  published 
some  books  which  have  had  a  good  sale,  I  was  wrong ;  it  was  very 
kind  of  the  public  to  buy  them  !  I  don't  know  anything,  I  tell 
you,  except  that  I  am  very  ignorant.  Now  I  have  a  chance  offered 
me  to  complete,  or,  rather,  to  make  over  my  knowledge  of  medi- 
cine, surgery,  history,  geography,  botany,  mineralogy,  conchology, 
geodes}^,  chemistry,  physics,  mechanics,  hydrography ;  well,  I  ac- 
cept it,  and  I  assure  you,  I  did  n't  have  to  be  asked  twice." 

"Then,"  said  Shandon  in  a  tone  of  disappointment,  "you  don't 
know  where  the  Forward  is  going." 

"  0,  but  I  do,  commander  ;  it 's  going  where  there  is  something 
to  be  learned,  discovered ;  where  one  can  instruct  himself,  make 
comparisons,  see  other  customs,  other  countries,  study  the  ways  of 
other  people  ;  in  a  word,  it 's  going  where  I  have  never  been." 

"  But  more  precisely  ? "  cried  Shandon. 

"More  precisely,"  answered  the  doctor,  "I  have  understood 
that  it  was  bound  for  the  Northern  Ocean.  Well,  good  for  the 
North ! " 

"At  any  rate,"  said  Shandon,  "you  know  the  captain"?" 

"Not  at  all !     But  he  's  a  good  fellow,  you  may  depend  on  it." 


TffE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  21 

The  mate  and  the  doctor  stepped  ashore  at  Birkenhead ;  Shan- 
don  gave  his  companion  all  the  information  he  had,  and  the  mys- 
tery which  lay  about  it  all  excited  highly  the  doctor's  imagina- 
tion. The  sight  of  the  Forward  enchanted  him.  From  that 
time  he  was  always  with  Shandon,  and  he  came  every  morning  to 
inspect  the  hull  of  the  Fcyrward. 

In  addition  he  was  specially  intrusted  with  the  providing  of 
the  ship's  medicine-chest. 

For  Clawbonny  was  a  physician,  and  a  good  one,  although  he 
had  never  practised  much.  At  twenty-five  he  was  an  ordinary 
young  doctor,  at  forty  he  was  a  learned  man;  being  known 
throughout  the  whole  city,  he  became  a  leading  member  of  the 
Literary  and  Philosophical  Society  of  Liverpool.  His  moderate 
fortune  allowed  him  to  give  some  advice  which  was  no  less  valu- 
able for  being  without  charge;  loved  as  a  thoroughly  kind- 
hearted  man  must  be,  he  did  no  harm  to  any  one  else  nor  to  him- 
self; quick  and  garrulous,  if  you  please,  but  with  his  heart  in  his 
hand,  and  his  hand  in  that  of  all  the  world. 

When  the  news  of  his  intended  journey  on  board  the  Forward 
became  known  in  the  city,  all  his  friends  endeavored  to  dissuade 
him,  but  they  only  made  him  cling  more  obstinately  to  his  inten- 
tion ;  and  when  the  doctor  had  absolutely  determined  on  any- 
thing, he  was  a  skilful  man  who  could  make  him  change. 

From  that  day  the  rumors,  conjectures,  and  apprehensions 
steadily  increased ;  but  that  did  not  interfere  with  the  launching 
of  the  Forward  on  the  5th  of  February,  1860.  Two  months  later 
she  was  ready  for  sea. 

On  the  15th  of  March,  as  the  captain's  letter  had  said,  a 
Danish  dog  was  sent  by  rail  from  Edinburgh  to 
Liverpool,  to  the  address  of  Richard  Shandon. 
He  seemed  morose,  timid,  and  almost  wicked  ; 
his  expression  was  very  strange.  The  name  of 
the  Forward  was  engraved  on  his  collar. 

The  commander  gave  him  quarters  on  board,  and  sent  a  letter, 
with  the  news  of  his  arrival,  to  Leghorn. 

Hence,  with  the  exception  of  the  captain,  the  crew  of  the  For- 
ward w^as  complete.     It  was  composed  as  follows  :  —  \ 


22  TEE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

1.  K.  Z.,  captain;  2.  Richard  Shandon,  first  mate,  in  com- 
mand; 3.  James  Wall,  second  mate;  4.  Dr.  Clawbonny;  5. 
Johnson,  boatswain ;  6.  Simpson,  harpooner ;  7.  Bell,  carpenter ; 
8.  Brunton,  first  engineer;  9.  Plover,  second  engineer;  10. 
Strong  (negTo),  cook;  11.  Foker,  ice-master;  12.  Wolston, 
gunner;  13.  Bolton,  sailor;  14.  Garry,  sailor;  15.  Clifton, 
sailor;   16.  Gripper,  sailor;  17.  Pen,  sailor;  18.  Warren,  stoker. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE   DOG-CAPTAIN. 

The  5th  of  April,  the  day  of  departure,  came.  The  fact  that 
the  doctor  had  joined  the  expedition  gave  some  comfort  to  those 
on  board.  Wherever  he  could  go  they  could  follow.  Still,  most 
of  the  sailors  were  very  uneasy,  and  Shandon,  fearing  that  their 
number  might  be  diminished  by  desertion,  was  very  anxious  to 
get  to  sea.  The  land  once  out  of  sight,  the  men  would  soon  be 
resigned. 

Dr.  Clawbonny's  cabin  was  situated  on  the  poop,  occupying  the 
extreme  after-part  of  the  ship.  The  cabins  of  the  captain  and 
mate  opened  on  the  deck.  That  of  the  captain  was  kept  tightly 
closed,  after  it  had  been  provided  with  various  instruments,  fur- 
niture, clothing,  books,  and  utensils,  all  of  which  had  been  set 
down  in  detail  in  a  letter.  As  he  had  asked,  the  key  was  sent  to 
the  captain  at  Liibeck  ;  so  he  alone  had  admission  into  the  cabin. 

This  fact  annoyed  Shandon,  and  diminished  his  chances  of  hav- 
ing chief  command.  As  for  his  own  cabin,  he  had  arranged  it 
suitably  for  the  presumed  voyage,  for  he  knew  very  well  what 
was  necessary  for  a  polar  expedition. 

The  second  mate's  cabin  was  on  the  lower  deck,  where  the 
sailors  were  domiciled ;  the  crew  had  very  comfortable  quarters ; 
they  would  hardly  have  had  such  accommodations  in  any  other 
ship.  They  were  treated  as  if  they  were  a  valuable  cargo ;  a 
huge  stove  stood  in  the  middle  of  their  sleeping-room. 


^ 


"  This  space  of  six  feet  square  contained  incalculable  wealth." —  Page  23. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  23 

Dr.  Clawbonny  was  very  enthusiastic  about  it ;  he  took  posses- 
sion of  his  cabin  on  the  6th  of  February,  the  day  after  the  ship 
was  launched. 

"  The  happiest  animal  in  the  world,"  he  used  to  say,  "  would 
be  a  snail  who  could  make  himself  just  such  a  shell  as  he 
wanted ;    I  shall  try  to  be  an  intelligent  snail." 

And,  in  fact,  for  a  shell  which  he  was  not  going  to  leave  for 
some  time,  his  cabin  presented  a  very  comfortable  appearance ; 
the  doctor  took  a  scientific  or  childlike  pleasure  in  arranging  his 
scientific  paraphernalia.  His  books,  his  specimens,  his  cases,  his 
instruments,  his  physical  apparatus,  his  thermometers,  barome- 
ters, field-glasses,  compasses,  sextants,  charts,  drawings,  phials, 
powder,  and  medicine-bottles,  all  were  classified  in  a  way  which 
would  have  done  honor  to  the  British  Museum.  This  space  of 
six  feet  square  contained  incalculable  wealth ;  the  doctor  needed 
only  to  stretch  out  his  hand  without  rising,  to  become  at  once 
a  physician,  a  mathematician,  an  astronomer,  a  geographer,  a 
botanist,  or  a  conchologist. 

To  tell  the  truth,  he  was  proud  of  his  arrangements,  and  very 
contented  in  his  floating  sanctum,  which  three  of  his  thinnest  friends 
would  have  completely  filled.  They  used  to  crowd  there  in  great 
numbers,  so  that  even  so  good-natured  a  man  as  the  doctor  was 
occasionally  put  out ;  and,  like  Socrates,  he  came  at  last  to  say,  — 

"  My  house  is  small,  but  may  Heaven  grant  that  it  never  be 
filled  with  friends  !  " 

To  complete  our  account  of  the  Forward,  it  is  only  necessary 
to  add  that  a  kennel  for  the  huge  Danish  dog  was  built  just 
beneath  the  window  of  the  closed  cabin  ;  but  he  preferred  to  keep 
himself  between  decks  and  in  the  hold ;  it  seemed  impossible  to 
tame  him  ;  no  one  ever  conquered  his  shyness  ;  he  could  be  heard, 
at  night  especially,  howling  dismally  in  the  ship's  hold. 

Was  it  because  he  missed  his  master  ?  Had  he  an  instinctive 
dread  of  the  dangers  of  the  voyage  *?  Had  he  a  presentiment  of 
the  coming  perils  ]  The  sailors  were  sure  that  he  had,  and  more 
than  one  said  the  same  in  jest,  who  in  his  heart  regarded  the  dog 
as  a  sort  of  diabolic  animal. 

Pen,  a  very  brivtal  man,  one  day,  while  trying  to   kick  him. 


24 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 


slipped,  and  fell  on  the  corner  of  the  capstan  in  such  a  way  that 
he  cut  his  head  badly.  It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  sailors  put  all 
the  blame  upon  the  dog. 

Clifton,  who  was  the  most  superstitious 
man  in  the  crew,  made,  one  day,  the  strange 
observation  that  the  dog,  when  on  the  poop, 
would  always  walk  on  the  windward  side ; 
and  afterwards,  when  the  brig  was  at  sea  and 
under  sail,  this  singular  animal  would  shift 
his  position  to  the  other  side  after  every  tack, 
so  as  to  be  windward,  as  the  captain  of  the 
Forward  would  have  done. 

Dr.  Clawbonny,  who  by  his  gentleness  and 
caresses  would  have  almost  tamed  the  heart 
of  a  tiger,  tried  in  vain  to  make  friends  with  the  dog;  he  met 
with  no  success. 

The  dog,  too,  did  not  answer  to  any  of  the  usual  names  of  his 
kind.  So  the  men  used  to  call  him  "Cap- 
tain," for  he  seemed  perfectly  familiar  with 
all  the  ways  on  shipboard.  He  had  evidently 
been  to  sea  before. 

It  is  hence  easy  to   understand  the  boat- 
swain's answer   to  Clifton's  friend,  and  how 
this  idea  found  but  few  sceptics;  more  than 
CLIFTON.  ^^^  would  repeat  it  jestingly,  who  was  fully 

prepared  to  see  the  dog,  some  fine  day,  take  human  shape,  and 
with  a  loud  voice  assume  command. 

If  Richard  Shandon  did  not  share  such  apprehensions,  he  was 
far  from  being  undisturbed,  and  on  the  eve  of  departing,  on  the 
night  of  April  5th,  he  was  talking  on  this  subject  with  the  doctor. 
Wall,  and  Johnson,  in  the  mess-room. 

These  four  persons  were  sipping  their  tenth  grog,  which  was 
probably  their  last,  too  ;  for,  in  accordance  with  the  letter  from 
Aberdeen,  all  the  crew,  from  the  captain  to  the  stoker,  were  tee- 
totalers, never  touching  beer,  wine,  nor  spirits,  except  in  case  of 
sickness,  and  by  the  advice  of  the  doctor. 

For  an  hour  past  they  had  been  talking  about  their  departure. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  25 

If  the  captain's  instructions  were  to  be  completely  carried  out, 
Shaudon  would  the  next  day  receive  a  letter  containing  his  last 
orders. 

"If  that  letter,"  said  the  mate,  "doesn't  tell  me  the  captain's 
name,  it  must  at  least  tell  us  whither  we  are  bound.  If  not,  in 
what  direction  shall  we  sail  % " 

"  Upon  my  word,"  answered  the  impatient  doctor,  "  if  I  were 
in  your  place,  Shandon,  I  should  set  sail  even  without  getting  a 
letter ;  one  will  come  after  us,  you  may  be  sure." 

"  You  have  a  great  deal  of  faith.  Doctor.  But,  if  you  please,  to 
what  part  of  the  world  would  you  sail  ? " 

"  Towards  the  North  Pole,  of  course ;  there  can  bo  no  doubt 
about  that." 

"  No  doubt  indeed  !"  said  Wall.  "  Why  not  towards  the  South 
Pole  1 " 

"  the  South  Pole  !  Never  ! "  cried  the  doctor.  "  Would  the 
captain  ever  have  thought  of  sending  a  brig  across  the  whole 
Atlantic  Ocean  1,    Just  think  for  a  moment,  my  dear  Wall." 

"  The  doctor  has  an  answer  for  everything,"  was  his  only  reply. 

"Granted  it's  northward,"  resumed  Shandon.  "But  tell  me, 
Doctor,  is  it  to  Spitzbergen,  Greenland,  or  Labrador  that  we  have 
to  sail,  or  to  Hudson's  Bay]  If  all  these  routes  come  to  the 
same  end  at  last,  —  the  impassable  ice,  —  there  is  still  a  great 
number  of  them,  and  I  should  find  it  very  hard  to  choose  between 
them.     Have  any  definite  answer  to  that.  Doctor  ] " 

"  No,"  answered  the  doctor,  annoyed  that  he  had  nothing  to 
say  ;  "  but  if  you  get  no  letter,  what  shall  you  do  1 " 

"  I  shall  do  nothing ;  I  shall  wait." 

"  You  won't  set  sail ! "  cried  Clawbonny,  twirling  his  glass  in 
his  despair. 

"  No,  certainly  not." 

"  That 's  the  best  course,"  said  Johnson,  mildly ;  while  the  doc- 
tor walked  around  the  table,  being  unable  to  sit  quiet  any  longer. 
"  Yes,  that 's  the  best  course ;  and  still,  too  long  a  delay  might 
have  very  disastrous  consequences.  In  the  first  place,  the  season 
is  a  good  one,  and  if  it  's  north  we  are  going,  we  ought  to  take 
advantage  of  the   mild  weather  to  get  through  Davis  Straits; 


26  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

besides,  the  crew  will  get  more  and  more  impatient ;  the  friends 
and  companions  of  the  men  are  urging  them  to  leave  the  For- 
ward, and  they  might  succeed  in  playing  us  a  very  bad  turn." 

'•And  then,  too,"  said  James  Wall,  "if 
any  panic  should  arise  among  the  men, 
every  one  would  desert  us ;  and  I  don't 
know,  Commander,  how  you  could  get  to- 
gether another  crew." 

"  But  what  is  to  be  done  1 "  cried  Shan- 
don. 

"What  you  said,"  answered  the  doctor: 
"  wait ;  but  wait  till  to-morrow  before  you 
despair.  The  captain's  promises  have  all 
been  fulfilled  so  far  with  such  regularity  that  we  may  have  the 
best  hopes  for  the  future ;  there  's  no  reason  to  think  that  we 
shall  not  be  told  of  our  destination  at  the  proper  time.  As  for 
me,  I  don't  doubt  in  the  least  that  to-morrow  we  shall  be  sailing 
in  the  Irish  Sea.  So,  my  friends,  I  propose  one  last  drink  to  a 
happy  voyage ;  it  begins  in  a  mysterious  way,  but,  with  such 
sailors  as  you,  there  are  a  thousand  chances  of  its  ending  well." 
And  they  all  touched  their  glasses  for  the  last  time. 
"  Now,  Commander,"  resumed  Johnson,  "  I  have  one  piece  of 
advice  to  give  you,  and  that  is,  to  make  everything  ready  for  sail- 
ing. Let  the  crew  think  you  are  certain  of  what  you  are  about. 
To-morrow,  whether  a  letter  comes  or  not,  set  sail;  don't  start 
your  fires  ;  the  wind  promises  to  hold  ;  nothing  will  be  easier  than 
to  get  off;  take  a  pilot  on  board  ;  at  the  ebb  of  the  tide  leave  the 
docks  ;  then  anchor  beyond  Birkenhead  Point ;  the  crew  will  have 
no  more  communication  with  the  land  ;  and  if  this  devilish  letter 
does  come  at  last,  it  can  find  us  there  as  well  as  anywhere." 

"  Well  said,  Johnson  ! "  exclaimed  the  doctor,  reaching  out  his 
band  to  the  old  sailor. 

"  That 's  what  we  shall  do,"  answered  Shandon. 
Each  one  then  withdrew  to  his  cabin,  and  took  what  sleep  he 
could  get  till  morning. 

The  next  day  the  first  distribution  of  letters  took  place  in  the 
city,  but  there  was  none  for  Conimander  Richard  Shandon. 


The  news  spread  immediately  throughout  the  city,  and  a  great  concourse  of 
spectators  thronged  the  piers."  —  Page  27. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  27 

Nevertheless  he  made  his  preparations  for  departure ;  the  news 
spread  immediately  throughout  the  city,  and,  as  we  have  seen, 
a  great  concourse  of  spectators  thronged  the  piers  of  the  New 
Prince's  Docks. 

A  great  many  people  came  on  board  the  brig,  —  some  to  bid  a 
friend  good  by,  or  to  urge  him  to  leave  the  ship,  or  to  gaze  at 
this  strange  vessel ;  others  to  ascertain  the  object  of  the  voyage  ; 
and  there  were  many  murmurs  at  the  unusual  silence  of  the  com- 
mander. 

For  that  he  had  his  reasons. 

Ten  o'clock  struck.  Eleven,  The  tide  was  to  tarn  at  half  past 
twelve.  Shandon,  from  the  upper  deck,  gazed  with  anxious  eyes 
at  the  crowd,  trying  in  vain  to  read  on  some  one's  face  the  secret 
of  his  fate.  But  in  vain.  The  sailors  of  the  Forward  obeyed  his 
orders  in  silence,  keeping  their  eyes  fixed  upon  him,  ever  await- 
ing some  information  which  he  did  not  give. 

Johnson  was  finishing  the  preparations  for  setting  sail.  The 
day  was  overcast,  and  the  sea,  outside  of  the  docks,  rather  high ; 
a  stiff  southwest  breeze  was  blowing,  but  they  could  easily  leave 
the  Mersey. 

At  twelve  o'clock  still  nothing.  Dr.  Clawbonny  walked  up  and 
down  uneasily,  looking  about,  gesticulating,  and  "  impatient  for 
the  sea,"  as  he  said.  In  spite  of  all  he  could  do,  he  felt  excited. 
Shandon  bit  his  lips  till  the  blood  came. 

At  this  moment  Johnson  came  up  to  him  and  said,  — 

"  Commander,  if  we  are  going  to  take  this  tide,  we  must  lose 
no  time  ;  it  will  be  a  good  hour  before  we  can  get  off  from  the 
docks." 

Shandon  cast  one  last  glance  about  him,  and  looked  at  his 
watch.  It  was  after  the  time  of  the  midday  distribution  of 
letters. 

"  Cast  off !  "  he  said  to  his  boatswain. 

"  All  ashore  who  are  going  ! "  cried  the  latter,  ordering  the 
spectators  to  leave  the  deck  of  the  Forward. 

Thereupon  the  crowd,  began  to  move  toward  the  gangway  and 
make  its  way  on  to  tlie  quay,  while  the  crew  began  to  cast  oflf  the 
last  moorings. 


28  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

At  once  the  inevitable  confusion  of  the  crowd,  which  was 
pushed  about  without  much  ceremony  by  the  sailors,  was  in- 
creased by  the  barking  of  the  dog.  He  suddenly  sprang  from  the 
forecastle  right  through  the  mass  of  visitors,  barking  sullenly. 

All  made  way  for  him.  He  sprang  on  the  poop-deck,  and,  in- 
credible as  it  may  seem,  yet,  as  a  thousand  witnesses  can  testify, 
this  dog-captain  carried  a  letter  in  his  mouth. 

"  A  letter  !  "  cried  Shandon ;  "  but  is  he  on  board  ? " 

"  He  was,  without  doubt,  but  he 's  not  now,"  answered  Johnson, 
showing  the  deck  cleared  of  the  crowd. 


"  Here,  Captain  !  Captain  !  "  shouted  the  doctor,  trying  to  take 
the  letter  from  the  dog,  who  kept  springing  away  from  him..  He 
seemed  to  want  to  give  the  letter  to  Shandon  himself. 

"  Here,  Captain  !  "  he  said. 

The  dog  went  up  to  him ;  Shandon  took  the  letter  without 
difficulty,  and  then  Captain  barked  sharply  three  times,  amid  the 
profound  silence  which  prevailed  on  board  the  ship  and  along  the 
quay. 

Shandon  held  the  letter  in  his  hand,  without  opening  it. 

"  Read  it,  read  it ! "  cried  the  doctor.  Shandon  looked  at  it. 
The  address,  without  date  or  place;  ran  simply,  —  "  Commander 
Richard  Shandon,  on  board  the  brig  Forward" 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  29 

Shandon  opened  the  letter  and  read  :  — 

You  will  sail  towards  Cape  Farewell.  You  will  reach  it  April  20. 
If  the  captain  does  not  appear  on  board,  you  will  pass  through  Davis 
Strait  and  go  up  Baffin's  Bay  as  far  as  Melville  Sound. 

K.  Z., 
Captain  of  the  Forward. 

Shandon  folded  carefully  this  brief  letter,  put  it  in  his  pocket, 
and  gave  the  order  to  cast  off.  His  voice,  which  arose  alone  above 
the  roaring  of  the  wind,  sounded  very  solemn. 

Soon  the  Forward  had  left  the  docks,  and  under  the  care  of  a 
pilot,  whose  boat  followed  at  a  distance,  put  out  into  the  stream. 
The  crowd  hastened  to  the  outer  quay  by  the  Victoria  Docks  to 
get  a  last  look  at  the  strange  vessel.  The  two  topsails,  the  fore- 
sail, and  staysail  were  soon  set,  and  under  this  canvas  the  For- 
ivard,  which  well  deserved  its  name,  after  rounding  Birkenhead 
Point,  sailed  away  into  the  Irish  Sea. 


CHAPTER    V. 

AT    SEA. 

The  wind,  which  w\as  uncertain,  although  in  general  favorable, 
was  blowing  in  genuine  April  squalls.  The  Forward  sailed  rapidly, 
and  its  screw,  as  yet  unused,  did  not  delay  its  progress.  Towards 
three  o'clock  they  met  the  steamer  which  plies  between  Liverpool 
arid  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  which  carries  the  three  legs  of  Sicily  on 
its  paddle-boxes.  Her  captain  hailed  them,  and  this  was  the  last 
good-by  to  the  crew  of  the  Forward. 

At  five  o'clock  the  pilot  resigned  the  charge  of  the  ship  to 
Richard  Shandon,  and  sailed  away  in  his  boat,  which  soon  disap- 
peared from  sight  in  the  southwest. 

Towards  evening  the  brig  doubled  the  Calf  of  Man,  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  island  of  that  name.  During  the  night 
the  sea  was  very  high ;  the  Forward  rode  the  \vaves  very  well, 


30 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HAT T ERAS. 


however,  and  leaving  the  Point  of  Ayr  on  the  northwest,  she  ran 
towards  the  North  Channel. 

Johnson  was  right;  once  at  sea  the  sailors  readily  adapted 
themselves  instinctively  to  the  situation.  They  saw  the  excel- 
lence of  their  vessel  and  forgot  the  strangeness  of  their  situation. 
The  ship's  routine  was  soon  regularly  established. 


The  doctor  inhaled  with  pleasure  the  sea-air ;  he  paced  up  and 
down  the  deck  in  spite  of  the  fresh  wind,  and  showed  that  for  a 
student  he  had  very  good  sea-legs. 

"The  sea  is  a  fine  thing,"  he  said  to  Johnson,  as  he  went  upon 
the  bridge  after  breakfast ;  "  I  am  a  little  late  in  making  its 
acquaintance,  but  I  shall  make  up  for  my  delay." 

"You  are  right,  Dr.  Clawbonny  ;  I  would  give  all  the  land  in 
the  world  for  a  bit  of  ocean.  People  say  that  sailors  soon  get 
tired  of  their  business ;  but  I  've  been  sailing  for  forty  years,  and 
I  like  it  as  well  as  I  did  the  first  day." 

"  What  h,  pleasure  it  is  to  feel  a  stanch  ship  under  one's  feet ! 
and,  if  I  'm  not  mistaken,  the  Forioard  is  a  capital  sea-boat." 

"  You  are  right,  Doctor,"  answered  Shandon,  who  had  joined  the 
two  speakers ;  "  she 's  a  good  ship,  and  I  must  say  that  there  was 
never  a  ship  so  well  equipped  for  a  voyage  in  the  polar  regions. 


'  Towards  evening  the  brig  doubled  the  Calf  of  Man."  —  Page  29. 


\ 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  31 

That  reminds  me  that,   thirty  years  ago,  Captain  James  Ross, 
going  to  seek  the  Northwest  Passage  —  " 

"  Commanded  the  Victory,"  said  the  doctor,  quickly,  "  a  brig  of 
about  the  tonnage  of  this  one,  and  also  carrying  machinery." 

"  What !  did  you  know  that  1 " 

"Say  for  yourself,"  retorted  the  doctor.  " Steamers  were  then 
new  inventions,  and  the  machinery  of  the  Victory  was  continually 
delaying  him.  Captain  Ross,  after  in  vain  trying  to  patch  up 
every  piece,  at  last  took  it  all  out  and  left  it  at  the  first  place  he 
wintered  at." 

"  The  deuce  !  "  said  Shandon.     "  You  know  all  about  it,  I  see." 

"  More  or  less,"  answered  the  doctor.  "  In  my  reading  I  have 
come  across  the  works  of  Parry,  Ross,  Franklin ;  the  reports  of 
MacClure,  Kennedy,  Kane,  MacClintock ;  and  some  of  it  has  stuck 
in  my  memory.  I  might  add  that  MacClintock,  on  board  of  the 
Fox,  a  propeller  like  ours,  succeeded  in  making  his  way  more 
easily  and  more  directly  than  all  his  successors." 

*'  That 's  perfectly  true,"  answered  Shandon ;  "  that  MacClintock 
is  a  good  sailor ;  I  have  seen  him  at  sea.  You  might  also  say  that 
we  shall  be,  like  him,  in  Davis  Strait  in  the  month  of  April ;  and 
if  we  can  get  through  the  ice  our  voyage  will  be  very  much  ad- 
vanced." 

"  Unless,"  said  the  doctor,  "  we  should  be  as  unlucky  as  the 
Fox  in  1857,  and  should  be  caught  the  first  year  by  the  ice  in  the 
north  of  Baffin's  Bay,  and  we  should  have  to  winter  among  the 
icebergs." 

"  We  must  hope  to  be  luckier,  Mr.  Shandon,"  said  Johnson ; 
"  and  if,  with  a  ship  like  the  Forward,  we  can't  go  where  we 
please,  the  attempt  must  be  given  up  forever." 

"  Besides,"  continued  the  doctor,  "  if  the  captain  is  on  board  he 
will  know  better  than  we  what  is  to  be  done,  and  so  much  the 
better  because  we  are  perfectly  ignorant ;  for  his  singularly  brief 
letter  gives  us  no  clew  to  the  probable  aim  of  the  voyage." 

"  It 's  a  great  deal,"  answered  Shandon,  with  some  w^armth,  "to 
know  what  route  we  have  to  take  ;  and  now  for  a  good  month,  I 
fancy,  we  shall  be  able  to  get  along  without  his  supernatural  inter- 
vention and  orders.    Besides,  you  know  what  I  think  about  him." 


32  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"  Ha,  ha !  "  laughed  the  doctor ;  "  I  used  to  think  as  you  did, 
that  he  was  going  to  leave  the  command  of  the  ship  in  your 
hands,  and  that  he  would  never  come  on  board  ;  but  —  " 

"  But  what  ]  "  asked  Shandon,  with  some  ill-humor. 

"  But  since  the  arrival  of  the  second  letter,  I  have  altered  my 
views  somewhat." 

"  And  why  so,  doctor  ? " 

"  Because,  although  this  letter  does  tell  you  in  which  direc- 
tion to  go,  it  still  does  not  inform  you  of  the  final  aim  of  the  voy- 
age ;  and  we  have  yet  to  know  whither  we  are  to  go.  I  ask  you 
now  can  a  third  letter  reach  us  now  that  we  are  on  the  open 
sea.  The  postal  service  on  the  shore  of  Greenland  is  very  defec- 
tive. You  see,  Shandon,  I  fancy  that  he  is  waiting  for  us  at  some 
Danish  settlement  up  there,  —  at  Holsteinborg  or  Upernavik. 
We  shall  find  that  he  has  been  completing  the  supply  of  seal- 
skins, buying  sledges  and  dogs,  —  in  a  word,  providing  all  the 
equipment  for  a  journey  in  the  arctic  seas.  So  I  shall  not  be  in 
the  least  surprised  to  see  him  coming  out  of  his  cabin  some  fine 
morning  and  taking  command  in  the  least  supernatural  way  in 
the  world." 

''Possibly,"  answered  Shandon,  dryly;  "but  meanwhile  the 
wind  's  freshening,  and  there  's  no  use  risking  our  topsails  in 
such  weather." 

Shandon  left  the  doctor,  and  ordered  the  topsails  furled. 

"  He  still  clings  to  that  idea,"  said  the  doctor  to  the  boatswain. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  answer,  "  and  it 's  a  pity;  for  you  may  very  well 
be  right,  Dr.  Clawbonny." 

Towards  the  evening  of  Saturday  the  Forioard  rounded  the 
Mull  of  Galloway,  on  which  the  light  could  be  seen  in  the  north- 
east. During  the  night  they  left  the  Mull  of  Cantire  to  the  north, 
and  on  the  east  Fair  Head,  on  the  Irish  coast.  Towards  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  brig,  passing  Rathlin  Island  on  its  star- 
board quarter,  came  out  from  the  North  Channel  into  the  ocean. 

That  was  Sunday,  April  8.  The  English,  and  especially  sail- 
ors, are  very  observant  of  that  day ;  hence  the  reading  of  the 
Bible,  of  which  the  doctor  gladly  took  charge,  occupied  a  good 
part  of  the  morning. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


33 


The  wind  rose  to  a  gale,  and  threatened  to  drive  the  ship  back 
upon  the  Irish  coast.  The  waves  ran  very  high  ;  the  vessel  rolled 
a  great  deal.  If  the  doctor  was  not  sea-sick,  it  was  because  he 
was  determined  not  to  be,  for  nothing  would  have  been  easier.    At 


midday  Malin  Head  disappeared  from  their  view  in  the  south  ;  it 
was  the  last  sight  these  bold  sailors  were  to  have  of  Europe,  and 
more  than  one  gazed  at  it  for  a  long  time  who  was  doubtless  fated 
never  to  set  eyes  on  it  again. 


By  observation  the  latitude  then  was  55°  57',  and  the  longi- 
tude, according  to  the  chronometer,  7°  40'.* 

The  gale  abated  towards  nine  o'clock  of  the  evening ;  the  For- 
ward, a  good  sailer,  kept  on  its  route  to  the  northwest.     That 

*  Meridian  of  Greenwich. 


34 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 


day  gave  them  all  a  good  opportunity  to  jvidge  of  her  sea-going 
qualities ;  as  good  judges  had  already  said  at  Liverpool,  she  was 
well  adapted  for  carrying  sail. 

During  the  following  days,  the  Forward 
made  very  good  progress  ;  the  wind  veered 
to  the  south,  and  the  sea  ran  high.  The 
brig  set  every  sail.  A  few  petrels  and 
puffins  flew  about  the  poop-deck ;  the 
doctor  succeeded  in  shooting  one  of  the 
latter,  which  fortunately  fell  on  board. 

Simpson,  the  harpooner,  seized  it  and 
carried  it  to  the  doctor. 
"  It 's  an  ugly  bird,  Dr.  Clawbonny,"  he  said. 
"  But  then  it  will  make  a  good  meal,  my  friend."  — 

"  What,  are  you  going  to  eat  it  % " 
.   "  And  you  shall  have  a  taste  of  it,"  said  the  doctor,  laughing. 

"  Never  !  "  answered  Simpson ; 
"  it 's  strong  and  oily,  like  all  sea- 
birds." 

"  True,"  said  the  doctor ;  "  but  I 
have  a  way  of  dressing  such  game, 
and  if  you  recognize  it  to  be  a  sea- 
bird,  I  '11  promise  never  to  kill  an- 
other in  all  my  life." 

"  So  you  are  a  cook,  too,  Dr.  Claw- 
bonny % "  asked  Johnson. 

"  A  learned  man  ought  to  know  a 
little  of  everything." 

"Then  take  care,  Simpson,"  said 
the  boatswain ;  "  the  doctor  is  a  clever 
man,  and  he  '11  make  us  take  this 
puffin  for  a  delicious  grouse." 

In  fact,  the  doctor  was  in  the  right 
about  this  bird  ;  he  removed  skilfully 
the  fat  which  lies  beneath  the  whole 
surface  of  the  skin,  principally  on  its 
thighs,  and  with  it  disappeared  all  the  rancid,  fishy  odor  with  which 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  35 

this  bird  can  be  justly  charged.    Thus  prepared,  the  bird  was  called 
delicious,  even  by  Simpson. 

During  the  recent  storm,  Richard  Shandon  had  made  up  his 
mind  about  the  qualities  of  his  crew ;  he  had  tested  his  men  one 
by  one,  as  every  officer  should  do  who  wishes  to  be  prepared  for 
future  dangers ;  he  knew  on  whom  he  could  rely. 

James  Wall,  who  was  warmly  attached  to  Richard,  was  intelli- 
gent and  efficient,  but  he  had  very  little  originality ;  as  second 
officer  he  was  exactly  in  his  place. 

Johnson,  who  was  accustomed  to  the  dangers  of  the  sea, 
and  an  old  sailor  in  arctic  regions,  lacked  neither  coolness  nor 
courage. 

Simpson,  the  harpooner,  and  Bell,  the  carpenter,  were  steady 
men,  obedient  and  well  disciplined.  The  ice-master,  Foker,  an 
experienced  sailor,  who  had  sailed  in  northern  waters,  promised 
to  be  of  the  greatest  service. 

Of  the  other  men,  Garry  and  Bolton  seemed  to  be  the  best ; 
Bolton  was  a  jolly  fellow,  always  laughing 
and  joking;  Garry,  a  man  about  thirty-five 
years  old,  had  an  energetic,  but  rather  pale 
and  sad  face. 

The  three  sailors,  Clifton,  Gripper,  and 
Pen,  seemed  to  be  the  least  enthusiastic  and 
determined ;  they  were  inclined  to  grum- 
bling. Gripper  had  even  wished  to  break  his 
engagement  when  the  time  came  for  sailing,  and  only  a  feeling 
of  shame  prevented  him.  If  things  went  well,  if  they  encoun- 
tered no  excessive  dangers,  and  their  toil  was  not  too  severe, 
these  three  men  could  be  counted  on  ;  but  they  were  hard  to 
please  with  their  food,  for  they  were  inclined  to  gluttony.  In 
spite  of  their  having  been  forewarned,  they  were  by  no  means 
pleased  with  being  teetotalers,  and  at  their  meals  they  used  to 
miss  their  brandy  or  gin  ;  but  they  made  up  for  it  with  the  tea 
and  coffee  which  were  distributed  with  a  lavish  hand. 

As  for  the  two  engineers,  Brunton  and  Plover,  and  the  stoker, 
Warren,  they  had  been  so  far  well  satisfied  with  having  nothing 
|o  do. 


36 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


Shandon  knew  therefore  what  to  expect  from  each  man. 
On  the  14:th  of  April,  the  Forward  crossed  the  Gulf  Stream, 
which,  after  following  the  eastern  coast  of  America   as   far  as 

Newfoundland,  turns  to  the  north- 
east and  moves  towards  the  shore 
of  Norwa3\  They  were  then  in 
latitude  51°  37',  and  longitude  22° 
37',  two  hundred  miles  from  the 
end  of  Greenland.  The  w^eather 
grew  colder  ;  the  thermometer  fell 
to  32°,  the  freezing-point. 

The  doctor,  without  yet  putting 
on  his  arctic  winter  dress,  was 
wearing  a  suit  of  sea-clothes,  like 
all  the  officers  and  sailors ;  he  was 
an  amusing  sight  in  his  high  boots, 
in  which  he  could  not  bend  his  legs,  his  huge  tarpaulin  hat,  his 
trousers  and  coat  of  the  same  material  ;  in  heavy  rain,  or  when 
the  brig  was  shipping  seas,  the  doctor  used  to  look  like  a  sort 
of  sea-monster,  a  comparison  which  always  flattered  him. 

For  two  days  the  sea  was  very  rough ;  the 
wind  veered  to  the  northwest,  and  delayed 
the  Forward.  From  the  14th  to  the  16th 
of  April  there  was  still  a  high  sea  running; 
but  on  Monday  there  fell  a  heavy  shower 
which  almost  immediately  had  the  effect  of 
calming  the  sea.  Shandon  called  the  doc- 
tor's attention  to  it. 

"Well,"  said  the  doctor,  "that  confirms 
the  curious  observations  of  the  whaler  Scores- 
by,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society 
of  Edinburgh,  of  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  be  a  corresponding  member.     You  see 

that  while  the  rain  is  falling  the  waves  are  hardly  to  be  noticed, 
even   when   the   wind    is    strong.      On  the   other  hand,    in   dry 
weather  the  sea  would  be  rougher  even  with  a  gentler  wi^  ' 
"  But  what  is  the  explanation  of  it.  Doctor  V  t( 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  37 

"  It 's  very  simple  ;  there  is  no  explanation." 

At  that  moment  the  ice-master,  who  yas  on  watch  in  the  top- 
mast cross-trees,  cried  out  that  there  was  a  floating  mass  on  the 
starboard  quarter,  about  fifteen  miles  to  windward. 

"An  iceberg  in  these' 
latitudes  !  "  cried  the 
doctor. 

Shandon  turned  his 
glass  in  that  direction, 
and  corroborated  the 
lookout's  words. 

"  That 's  strange,"  said 
the  doctor. 

"  Are  you  surprised  1 " 
asked  tlie  commander, 
laughing.  ''  What  !  are 
we  lucky  enough  to  find  anything  that  will  surprise  you  % " 

"  I  am  surprised  without  being  surprised,"  answered  the  doc- 
tor, smiling,  "since  the  brig  Ann  Poole,  of  Greenspond^  was 
caught  in  the  ice  in  the  year  1813,  in  the  forty -fourth  degree 
of  north  latitude,  and  Dayement,  her  captain,  saw  hundreds  of 
icebergs." 

"Good,"  said  Shandon  ;  "you  can  still  teach  us  a  great  deal 
about  them." 

"  0,  not  so  very  much  ! "  answered  Clawbonny,  modestly,  "  ex- 
cept that  ice  has  been  seen  in  very  much  lower  latitudes." 

"  That  I  know,  my  dear  Doctor,  for  when  I  was  a  cabin-boy  on 
the  sloop-of-war.  Fly  —  " 

"In  1818,"  continued  the  doctor,  "at  the  end  of  March,  or  it 
might  have  been  the  beginning  of  April,  you  passed  between  two 
large  fields  of  floating  ice,  in  latitude  forty-two." 

"  That  is  too  much  !  "  exclaimed  Shandon. 

"  But  it 's  true ;  so  I  have  no  need  to  be  surprised,  now  that 
we  are  two  degrees  farther  north,  at  our  sighting  an  iceberg." 

"You  are  bottled  full  of  information,  Doctor,"  answered  the 
commander  ;  "  one  needs  only  draw  the  cork." 

"Very  well,  I  shall  be  exhausted  sooner  than  you  think;  and 


38  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  UATTERAS. 

now,  Shandon,  if  we  can  get  a  nearer  view  of  this  phenomenon,  I 
should  be  the  gladdest  of  doctors." 

"  Exactly,  Johnson,"  said  Shandon,  summoning  the  boatswain ; 
"  I  think  the  wind  is  freshening." 

"  Yes,  Commander,"  answered  Johnson,  "  we  are  making  very 
•  little  headway,  and  soon  we  shall  feel  the  currents  from  Davis 
Strait." 

"  You  are  right,  Johnson,  and  if  we  mean  to  make  Cape  Fare- 
well by  the  20th  of  April,  we  must  go  under  steam,  or  we  shall  be 
cast  on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  —  Mr.  Wall,  give  the  order  to  light 
the  fires." 

The  mate's  orders  were  obeyed  ;  an  hour  later  the  engines  were 
in  motion ;  the  sails  were  furled  ;  and  the  screw,  turning  through 
the  waves,  was  driving  the  Forward  rapidly  in  the  teeth  of  the 
northwest  wind. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE  GREAT  POLAR  CURRENT. 

Soon  more  numerous  flocks  of  birds,  petrels,  puffins,  and  others 
which  inhabit  those  barren  shores,  gave  token  of  their  approach 
to  Greenland.  The  Fcrrward  was  moving  rapidly  northward,  leav- 
ing behind  her  a  long  line  of  dark  smoke. 

Tuesday,  the  17th  of  April,  the  ice-master  caught  the  first 
sight  of  the  hlink'^  of  the  ice.  It  was  visible  at  least  twenty 
miles  off  to  the  north-northwest.  In  spite  of  some  tolerably  thick 
clouds  it  lighted  up  brilliantly  all  the  air  near  the  horizon.  No 
one  of  those  on  board  who  had  ever  seen  this  phenomenon  be- 
fore could  fail  to  recognize  it,  and  they  felt  assured  from  its 
whiteness  that  this  blink  was  due  to  a  vast  field  of  ice  lying 
about  thirty  miles  farther  than  they  could  see,  and  that  it  came 
from  the  reflection  of  its  luminous  rays. 

Towards  evening  the  wind  shifted  to  the  south,  and  became 
favorable  ;    Shandon  was  able  to  carry  sail,   and   as  a  measure 

*  A  peculiar  and  brilliant  color  of  the  air  above  a  large  expanse  of  ice. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  39 

of  economy  they  extinguished  the  furnace  fires.  The  Forward 
under  her  topsails,  jib,  and  foresail,  sailed  on  towards  Cape 
Farewell. 

At  three  o'clock  on  the  18th  they  made  out  an  ice-stream, 
which,  like  a  narrow  but  •  brilliant  band,  divided  the  lines  of  the 
water  and  sky.  It  was  evidently  descending  rather  from  the 
coast  of  Greenland  than  from  Davis  Strait,  for  the  ice  tended 
to  keep  on  the  western  side  of  Baffin's  Bay.  An  hour  later, 
and  the.  Forward  was  passing  through  the  detached  fragments 
of  the  ice-stream,  and  in  the  thickest  part  the  pieces  of  ice, 
although  closely  welded  together,  w^ere  rising  and  falling  with 
the  waves. 

At  daybreak  the  next  morning  the  watch  saw  a  sail ;  it  was 
the  Valkj/ria,  a  Danish  corvette,  sailing  towards  the  Forward, 
bound  to  Newfoundland.  The  current  from  the  strait  became 
perceptible,  and  Shandon  had  to  set  more  sail  to  overcome  it. 

At  that  moment  the  commander,  the  doctor,  James  Wall,  and 
Johnson  were  all  together  on  the  poop-deck,  observing  the  force 
and  direction  of  the  current.  The  doctor  asked  if  it  were  proved 
that  this  current  was  felt  throughout  Baffin's  Bay. 

"There  's  no  doubt  of  it,"  answered  Shandon;  "and  sailing- 
vessels  have  hard  work  in  making  headway  against  it." 

"  And  it 's  so  much  the  harder,"  added  James  Wall,  "  because 
it 's  met  on  the  eastern  coast  of  America,  as  well  as  on  the  west- 
ern coast  of  Greenland." 

"  Well,"  said  the  doctor,  "  that  serves  to  confirm  those  who 
seek  a  Northwest  Passage.  The  current  moves  at  the  rate  of 
about  five  miles  an  hour,  and  it  is  hard  to  imagine  that  it  rises  at 
the  bottom  of  a  gulf" 

"  That  is  very  likely.  Doctor,"  answered  Shandon,  "  because, 
while  this  cuirent  flows  from  north  to  south,  there  is  a  contrary 
current  in  Behring  Strait,  which  flows  from  south  to  north,  and 
which  must  be  the  cause  of  this  one." 

"  Hence,"  said  the  doctor,  "  you  must  admit  that  America  is 
completely  separated  from  the  polar  regions,  and  that  the  water 
from  the  Pacific  skirts  its  whole  northern  coast,  until  it  reaches 
the  Atlantic.     Besides,  the  greater  elevation  of  the  water  of  the 


40  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

Pacific  is  another  reason  for  its  flowing  towards  the  European 
seas." 

"But,"  said  Shandon,  "there  must  be  some  facts  which  sup- 
port this  theory ;  and  if  there  are,"  he  added  with  gentle  irony, 
"  our  learned  friend  must  be  familiar  with  them." 

"  Well,"  answered  the  latter,  complacently,  "  if  it  interests  you 
at  all  I  can  tell  you  that  whales,  wounded  in  Davis  Strait,  have 
been  found  afterwards  on  the  coast  of  Tartary,  still  carrying  a 
European  harpoon  in  tlieir  side." 

"  And  unless  they  doubled  Cape  Horn,  or  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,"  answered  Shandon,  "they  must  have  gone  around  the 
northern  coast  of  America.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  that. 
Doctor." 

"  And  if  you  were  not  convinced,  my  dear  Shandon,"  said  the 
doctor,  smiling,  "  I  could  produce  still  other  evidence,  such 
as  the  floating  wood  with  which  Davis  Strait  is  filled,  larch, 
aspen,  and  other  southern  kinds.  Now  we  know  that  the  Gulf 
Stream  could  not  carry  them  into  the  strait ;  and  if  they  come 
out  from  it  they  must  have  got  in  through  Behring  Strait." 

"  I  am  perfectly  convinced,  Doctor,  and  I  must  say  it  would  be 
hard  to  maintain  the  other  side  against  you." 

"  See  there,"  said  Johnson,  "  there  's  something  that  will  throw 
light  on  this  discussion.  It 's  a  large  piece  of  wood  floating  on 
the  water ;  if  the  commander  will  give  us  leave,  we  can  put  a  rope 
about  it,  hoist  it  on  board,  and  ask  it  the  name  of  its  country." 

"  That 's  the  way  !  "  said  the  doctor ;  "  after  the  rule  we  have 
the  example." 

Shandon  gave  the  necessary  orders ;  the  brig  was  turned  to- 
wards the  piece  of  wood,  and  soon  the  crew  were  hoisting  it 
aboard,  although  not  without  considerable  trouble. 

It  was  the  trimk  of  a  mahogany-tree,  eaten  to  its  centre  by 
worms,  which  fact  alone  made  it  light  enough  to  float. 

"  This  is  a  real  triumph,"  exclaimed  the  doctor,  enthusiasti- 
cally, "  for,  since  the  Atlantic  currents  could  not  have  brought  it 
into  Davis  Strait,  since  it  could  not  have  reached  the  polar  wa- 
ters from  the  rivers  of  North  America,  as  the  tree  grows  under 
the  equator,  it  is  evident  that  it  must  have  come  direct  from 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


41 


Behring  Strait.     And   besides,  see  those  sea-worms  which  have 
eaten  it ;  they  belong  to  warm  latitudes." 


"  It  certainly  gives  the  lie  to  those  who  deny  the  existence  of  a 
Northwest  Passage." 

"It  fairly  kills  them,"  answered  the  doctor.  "See  here,  I'll 
give  you  the  route  of  this  mahogany-tree  :  it  was  carried  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean  by  some  river  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  or  of 
Guatemala;  thence  the  current  carried  it  along  the  coast  of 
America  as  far  as  Behring  Strait,  and  so  it  was  forced  into  the 
polar  waters ;  it  is  neither  so  old  nor  so  completely  water-logged 
that  we  cannot  set  its  departure  at  some  recent  date  ;  it  escaped 
all  the  obstacles  of  the  many  straits  coming  into  Baffin's  Bay, 
and  being  quickly  seized  by  the  arctic  current  it  came  through 
Davis  Strait  to  be  hoisted  on  board  the  Forward  for  the  great  joy 
of  Dr.  Clawbonny,  who  asks  the  commander's  permission  to  keep 
a  piece  as  a  memorial." 

"Of  course,"  answered  Shandon ;  "but  let  me  tell  you  in  my 
turn  that  you  will  not  be  the  only  possessor  of  such  a  waif.  The 
Danish  governor  of  the  island  of  Disco  —  " 

"On  the  coast  of  Greenland,"  continued  the  doctor,  "has  a 
mahogany  table,  made  from  a  tree  found  in  the  same  way ;    I 


42  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

know  it,  my  dear  Shaudon.  Very  well ;  I  don't  grudge  him  his 
table,  for  if  there  were  room  enough  on  board,  I  could  easily 
make  a  sleeping-room  out  of  this." 

On  the  night  of  Wednesday  the  wind  blew  with  extreme  vio- 
lence ;  drift-wood  was  frequently  seen ;  the  approach  to  the  coast 
became  more  dangerous  at  a  time  when  icebergs  are  numerous ; 
hence  the  commander  ordered  sail  to  be  shortened,  and  the  For- 
ward went  on  under  merely  her  foresail  and  forestay-sail. 

The  thermometer  fell  below  the  freezing-point.  Shandon  dis- 
tributed among  the  crew  suitable  clothing,  woollen  trousers  and 
jackets,  flannel  shirts,  and  thick  woollen  stockings,  such  as  are 
worn  by  Norwegian  peasants.  Every  man  received  in  addition  a 
pair  of  water-proof  boots. 

As  for  Captain,  he  seemed  contented  with  his  fur ;  he  appeared 
indifferent  to  the  changes  of  temperature,  as  if  he  were  thor- 
oughly accustomed  to  such  a  life ;  and  besides,  a  Danish  dog  was 
unlikely  to  be  very  tender.  The  men  seldom  laid  eyes  on  him, 
for  he  generally  kept  himself  concealed  in  the  darkest  parts  of  the 
vessel. 

Towards  evening,  through  a  rift  in  the  fog,  the  coast  of  Green- 
land could  be  seen  m 
f   "^'^~       ^        ---- r  — ^Bi^^^^    longitude    37°    2'    7". 

Through  his  glass  the 
doctor  was  able  to 
distinguish  mountains 
separated  by  huge  gla- 
ciers ;  but  the  fog  soon 
cut  out  this  view,  like 
the  curtain  of  a  thea- 
tre falling  at  the  most 
interesting  part  of  a 
play. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  April,  the  Forward  found  itself 
in  sight  of  an  iceberg  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  aground  in 
this  place  from  time  immemorial ;  the  thaws  have  had  no  effect 
upon  it,  and  leave  its  strange  shape  unaltered.  Snow  saw  it ;  in 
1829  James  Ross  took  an  exact  drawing  of  it;  and  in  1851  the 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  43 

French  lieutenant,  Bellot,  on  board  of  the  Prince  Albert,  ob- 
served it.  Naturally  the '  doctor  wanted  to  preserve  a  memorial 
of  the  famous  mountain,  and  he  made  a  very  successful  sketch 
of  it. 

It  is  not  strange  that  such  masses  should  run  aground,  and  in 
consequence  become  immovably  fixed  to  the  spot ;  as  for  every 
foot  above  the  surface  of  the  water  they  have  nearly  two  be- 
neath, which  would  give  to  this  one  a  total  height  of  about  four 
hundred  feet. 

At  last  with  a  temperature  at  noon  as  low  as  12°,  under  a 
snowy,  misty  sky?  they  sighted  Cape  Farewell.  The  Forward 
arrived  at  the  appointed  day ;  the  unknown  captain,  if  he  cared 
to  assume  his  place  in  such  gloomy  weather,  would  have  no  need 
to  complain. 

"  Then,"  said  the  doctor  to  himself,  "  there  is  this  famous  cape, 
with  its  appropriate  name  !  Many  have  passed  it,  as  we  do,  who 
were  destined  never  to  see  it  again !  Is  it  an  eternal  farewell 
to  one's  friends  in  Europe?  You  have  all  passed  it,  Frobisher, 
Knight,  Barlow,  Vaughan,  Scroggs,  Barentz,  Hudson,  Blosseville, 
Franklin,  Crozier,  Bellot,  destined  never  to  return  home ;  and  for 
you  this  cape  was  well  named  Cape  Farewell ! " 

It  was  towards  the  year  970  that  voyagers,  setting  out  from 
Iceland,  discovered  Greenland.  Sebastian  Cabot,  in  1498,  went 
as  high  as  latitude  5G°  ;  Gaspard  and  Michel  Cotreal,  from  1500 
to  1502,  reached  latitude  G0° ;  and  in  1576  Martin  Frobisher 
reached  the  inlet  which  bears  his  name. 

To  John  Davis  belongs  the  honor  of  having  discovered  the 
strait,  in  1585 ;  and  two  years  later  in  a  third  voyage  this  hardy 
sailor,  this  great  whaler,  reached  the  sixty-third  parallel,  twenty- 
seven  degrees  from  the  Pole. 

Barentz  in  1596,  Weymouth  in  1602,  James  Hall  in,  1605  and 
1607,  Hudson,  whose  name  was  given  to  the  large  bay  which 
runs  so  far  back  into  the  continent  of  America,  James  Poole  in 
1611,  went  more  or  less  far  into  the  straits,  seeking  the  North- 
west Passage,  the  discovery  of  which  would  have  greatly  short- 
ened the  route  between  the  two  worlds. 

Baffin,   in   1616,   found   in  the  bay  of  that  name   Lancaster 


44  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

Sound;  he  was  followed  in  1619  by  James  Monk,  and  in  1719 
by  Knight,  Barlow,  Vaughan,  and  Scroggs,  who  were  never  heard 
of  again. 

In  1776,  Lieutenant.  Pickersgill,  sent  to  meet  Captain  Cook, 
who  tried  to  make  his  way  through  Behring  Strait,  reached 
latitude  68° ;  the  next  year.  Young,  on  the  same  eiTand,  went  as 
far  as  Woman's  Island. 

Then  came  James  Koss,  who  in  1818  sailed  all  around  the 
shores  of  Baffin's  Bay,  and  corrected  the  errors  on  the  charts  of 
his  predecessors. 

Finally,  in  1819  and  1820,  the  famous  Parry  made  his  way 
into  Lancaster  Sound.  In  spite  of  numberless  difficulties  he 
reached  Melville  Island,  and  won  the  prize  of  five  thousand 
pounds  offered  by  act  of  Parliament  to  the  English  sailors  who 
should  cross  the  meridian  at  a  latitude  higher  than  the  seventy- 
seventh  parallel. 

In  1826,  Beechey  touched  at  Chamisso  Island  ;  James  Ross 
wintered,  from  1829  to  1833,  in  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  and,  among 
other  important  services,  discovered  the  magnetic  pole. 

During  this  time  Franklin,  by  a  land-journey,  defined  the 
northern  coast  of  America,  from  Mackenzie  River  to  Turnagain 
Point ;  Captain  Back  followed  the  same  route  from  1823  to  1835 ; 
and  these  explorations  were  completed  in  1839  by  Dease,  Simpson, 
and  Dr.  Rae. 

At  last,  Sir  John  Franklin,  anxious  to  discover  the  Northwest 
Passage,  left  England  in  1 845,  with  the  Erebus  and  the  Terror ; 
he  entered  Baffin's  Bay,  and  since  his  leaving  Disco  Island  there 
has  been  no  news  of  his  expedition. 

His  disappearance  started  numerous  search-expeditions,  which 
have  effected  the  discovery  of  the  passage,  and  given  the  world 
definite  information  about  the  rugged  coasts  of  the  polar  lands. 
The  boldest  sailors  of  England,  France,  and  the  United  States 
hastened  to  these  terrible  latitudes  ;  and,  thanks  to  their  ex- 
ertions, the  tortuous,  complicated  map  of  these  regions  has  at 
last  been  placed  in  the  archives  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society 
of  London. 

The  strange  history  of  these  lands  crowded  on  the  imagination 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


45 


of  the  doctor,  as  he  stood  leaning  on  the  rail,  and  gazing  on  the 
long  track  of  the  brig.  The  names  of  those  bold  sailors  thronged 
into  his  memory,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  beneath  the  frozen 
arches  of  the  ice  he  could  see  the  pale  ghosts  of  those  who  never 
returned. 


CHAPTER    VII 


THE   ENTRANCE   OF   DAVIS    STRAIT. 

During  that  day  the  Forward  made  easy  progress  through  the 
loose  ice ;  the  breeze  was  in  a  good  quarter,  bat  the  temperature 
was  very  low ;  the  wind  coming  across  the  ice-fields  was  thor- 
oughly chilled. 

At  night  the  strictest  care  was  necessary ;  the  icebergs  crowded 
together  in  this  narrow  passage ;  often  they  could  be  counted  by 
the  hundred  on  the  horizon ;  they  had  been  loosened  from  the 
lofty  coasts  by  the  incessant  beating  of  the  waves  and  the  warmth 
of  the  spring  month,  and  they  were  floating  down  to  melt  away 
in  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  Often,  too,  they  came  across  large 
masses  of  floating  wood,  which  they  were  obliged  to  avoid,  so 


46 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


that  the  crow's-nest  was  placed  in  position  on  the  top  of  the  fore- 
mast; it  consisted  of  a  sort  of  tub,  in  which  the  ice-master, 
partly  sheltered  from  the  wind,  scanned  the  sea,  giving  notice  of 
the  ice  in  sight,  and  even,  if  necessary,  directing  the  ship's  course. 

The  nights  were  short ;  since 
the  31st  of  January  the  sun 
had  reappeared  in  refraction, 
and  was  every  day  rising  higher 
and  higher  above  the  horizon. 
But  it  was  hid  by  the  snow, 
which,  if  it  did  not  produce 
utter  darkness,  rendered  navi- 
gation difficult. 

April   21st,   Cape   Desolation 
appeared  through  the  mist ;  hard 
work   was  wearying  the  crew ; 
a  since  the  brig  had  entered  the 
^^   ice,  the  sailors  had  had  no  rest ; 
-M  it  was   now  necessary  to  have 
|S   recourse  to  steam  to  force  a  way 
through  the  accumulated  masses. 
The  doctor  and  Johnson  were 
talking  together  on   the  after- 
deck,  while  Shandon  was  snatch- 
ing a  few  hours  of  sleep  in  his 
cabin.       Clawbonny    was    very 
fond    of  talking   with   the    old 
sailor,  whose  numerous  voyages 
had  given  him  a  valuable  edu- 
cation.   The  two  had  made  great 
friends  of  one  another. 

"You  see,  Dr.  Clawbonny," 
said  Johnson,  "this  country  is 
not  like  any  other  ;  its  name  is  Greenland,  but  there  are  very 
few  weeks  of  the  year  in  which  it  deserves  this  name." 

"But,  Johnson,"  answered  the  doctor,  "who  can  say  whether 
in  the  tenth  century  this  name  did  not  suit  it  ^     More  than  one 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  47 

change  of  this  sort  has  taken  place  on  the  globe,  and  I  should 
astonish  you  much  more  by  saying  that,  according  to  Icelandic 
chroniclers,  two  hundred  villages  flourished  on  this  continent 
eight  or  nine  hundred  years  ago." 

"  You  astonish  me  so  much,  Dr.  Clawbonny,  that  I  can't  be- 
lieve you ;  for  it 's  a  sterile  country." 

"  Well,  sterile  as  it  is,  it  supports  a  good  many  inhabitants, 
and  among  them  are  some  civilized  Europeans." 

"  Without  doubt ;  at  Disco  and  at  Upernavik  we  shall  find 
men  who  are  willing  to  live  in  such  a  climate  ;  but  I  always  sup- 
posed they  stayed  there  from  necessity,  and  not  because  they 
liked  it." 

"I  think  you  are  right;  still,  men  get  accustomed  to  every- 
thing, and  these  Greenlanders  appear  to  me  better  off  than  the 
workingmen  of  our  large  cities  ;  they  may  be  unfortunate,  but 
they  are  not  miserable.  I  say  unfortunate,  but  that  is  not  ex- 
actly what  I  mean ;  in  fact,  if  they  are  not  quite  as  comfortable 
as  those  who  live  in  temperate  regions,  they,  nevertheless,  are 
accustomed  to  the  severity  of  the  climate,  and  find  in  it  an 
enjoyment  which  we  should  never  imagine." 

"  We  have  to  think  so.  Dr.  Clawbonny,  because  Heaven  is  just ; 
but  I  have  often  visited  these  coasts,  and  I  am  always  saddened 
at  the  sight  of  its  gloomy  loneliness ;  the  capes,  promontories,  and 
bays  ought  to  have  more  attractive  names,  for  Cape  Farewell  and 
Cape  Desolation  are  not  of  a  sort  to  cheer  sailors." 

"  I  have  often  made  the  same  remark,"  answered  the  doctor ; 
"but  these  names  have  a  geographical  value  which  is  not  to  be 
forgotten ;  they  describe  the  adventures  of  those  who  gave  them  ; 
along  with  the  names  of  Davis,  Baffin,  Hudson,  Ross,  Parry, 
Franklin,  Bellot,  if  I  find  Cape  Desolation,  I  also  find  soon  Mercy 
Bay ;  Cape  Providence  makes  up  for  Port  Anxiety,  Repulse  Bay 
brings  me  to  Cape  Eden,  and  after  leaving  Point  Turnagain  I 
rest  in  Refuge  Bay ;  in  that  way  I  have  under  my  eyes  the  whole 
succession  of  dangers,  checks,  obstacles,  successes,  despairs,  and 
victories  connected  with  the  great  names  of  my  country ;  and, 
like  a  series  of  antique  medals,  this  nomenclature  gives  me  the 
whole  history  of  these  seas." 


48 


.THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 


"  Well  reasoned,  Doctor ;  and  may  we  find  more  bays  of  Suc- 
cess in  our  journey  than  capes  of  Despair ! " 

"  I  hope  so,  Johnson ;  but,  tell  me,  have  the  crew  got  over 
their  fears  1 " 

"  Somewhat,  sir ;  and  yet,  to  tell  the  truth,  since  we  entered 
these  straits,  they  have  begun  to  be  very  uneasy  about  the 
unknown  captain ;  more  than  one  expected  to  see  him  appear 
at  the  end  of  Greenland ;  and  so  far  no  news  of  him.  Be- 
tween ourselves.  Doctor,  don't  you  think  that  is  a  little 
strange  !  " 

"  Yes,  Johnson,  I  do." 

"  Do  you  believe  the  captain  exists  ? " 

"  Without  any  doubt."  . 

"  But  what  reason  can  he  have  had  for  acting  in  this  way  1 " 

"  To  speak  frankly,  Johnson,  I  imagine  that  he  wants  to  get 
the  crew  so  far  away  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  them  to  turn 
back.     Now,  if  he  had  appeared  on  board  when  we  set  sail,  and 


every  one  had  known  where  we  were  going,  he  might  have  been 
embarrassed." 

"How  so?" 

"  Why,  if  he  wants  to  try  any  superhuman  enterprise,  if  he 
wants  to  go  where  so  many  have  failed,  do  you  think  he  would 
have  succeeded  in  shipping  a  crew  1  But,  once  on  the  way,  it  is 
easy  to  go  so  far  that  to  go  farther  becomes  an  absolute  neces- 
sity." 

"  Possibly,  Doctor ;  I  have  known  more  than  one  bold  explorer, 
whose  name  alone  would  have  frightened  every  one,  and  •  who 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  49 

would   have  found  no  one  to  accompany  him  on  his  perilous 
expeditions  —  " 

"  Except  me,"  said  the  doctor. 

"And  me,"  continued  Johnson.  "I  tell  you  our  captain  is 
probably  one  of  those  men.  At  any  rate,  we  shall  know  sooner 
or  later;  I  suppose  that  at  Upernavik  or  Melville  Bay  he  will 
come  quietly  on  board,  and  let  us  know  whither  he  intends  to 
take  the  ship." 

"  Very  likely,  Johnson  ;  but  the  difficulty  will  be  to  get  to 
Melville  Bay ;  see  how  thick  the  ice  is  about  us  !  The  Forward 
can  hardly  make  her  way  through  it.  See  there,  that  huge 
expanse ! " 

"  We  whalers  call  that  an  ice-field,  that  is  to  say,  an  unbroken 
surface  of  ice,  the  limits  of  which  cannot  be  seen." 

"  And  what  do  you  call  this  broken  field  of  long  pieces  more  or 
less  closely  connected  ? " 

"  That  is  a  pack ;  if  it 's  round  we  call  it  a  patch,  and  a  stream 
if  it  is  long." 

"  And  that  floating  ice  % " 

"  That  is  drift-ice ;  if  a  little  higher  it  would  be  icebergs  j 
they  are  very  dangerous  to  ships, 
and  they  have  to  be  carefully  avoided. 
See,  down  there  on  the  ice-field,  that 
protuberance  caused  by  the  pressure 
of  the  ice  ;  we  call  that  a  hummock; 
if  the  base  were  under  water,  we 
should  call  it  a  cake  ;  we  have  to 
give  names  to  them  all  to  distin- 
guish them." 

"Ah,  it  is  a  strange   sight,"  ex- 
claimed the  doctor,    as  he  gazed  at 
the  wonders  of  the  northern  seas ;  "  one's  imagination  is  touched 
by  all  these  different  shapes  !  " 

"  True,"  answered  Johnson,  "  the  ice  takes  sometimes  such 
curious  shapes;  and  we  men  never  fail  to  explain  them  in  our 
own  way." 

"  See  there,  Johnson ;  see  that  singular  collection  of  blocks  of 


50 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


ice  !  Would  one  not  say  it  was  a  foreign  city,  an  Eastern  city  with 
minarets  and  mosques  in  the  moonlight  %  Farther  off  is  a  long 
row  of  Gothic  arches,  which  remind  us  of  the  chapel  of  Henry 
VII.,  or  the  Houses  of  Parliament." 

"  Everything  can  be  found  there ;  but  those  cities  or  churches 
are  very  dangerous,  and  we  must  not  go  too  near  tliem.  Some 
of  those  minarets  are  tottering,  and  the  smallest  of  them  would 
crush  a  ship  like  the  Forward.'''' 

"  And  yet  men  have  dared  to  come  into  these  seas  ^lnder  sail 
alone !  How  could  a  ship  be  trusted  in  such  perils  without  the 
aid  of  steam  1 " 

"  Still  it  has  been  done  ;  when  the  wind  is  unfavorable,  and  I 
have  known  that  happen  more  than  once,  it  is  usual  to  anchor 
to  one  of  these  blocks  of  ice  ;  we  should  float  more  or  less  around 
with  them,  but  we  would  wait  for  a  fair  wind ;  it  is  true  that, 
travelling  in  that  way,  months  would  be 
sometimes  wasted  where  we  shall  need 
only  a  few  days." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  the  doctor, 
"  that  the  temperature  is  falling." 

"  That  would  be  a  pity,"  answered 
Johnson,  "for  there  will  have  to  be  a 
thaw  before  these  masses  separate,  and 
float  away  into  the  Atlantic ;  besides,  they 
are  more  numerous  in  Davis  Strait,  be- 
cause the  two  stretches  of  land  approach 
one  another  between  Cape  Walsingham 
and  Holsteinborg ;  but  above  latitude  67° 
we  shall  find  in  May  and  June  more  navi- 
gable seas." 

"Yes;  but  we  must  get  through  this 
first." 

"  We  must  get   through,    Doctor ;    in 

"  June  and  July  we  should  have  found  the 

passage  free,  as  do  the  whalers ;    but  our  orders  were   strict ; 

we  had  to  be  here  in  April.     If  I  'm  not  very  much  mistaken, 

our  captain  is  a  sound  fellow  with  an  idea  firm  in  his  head ;  his 


"  Would  oneVnot  say  it  was  a  foreign  city,  an  Eastern  city,  with  minarets  and 
mosques  in  the  moonlight  ?  "  —  Page  50. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT ,  THE  NORTH  TOLE.  51 

only  reason  for  leaving  so  early  was  to  go  far.  Whoever  survives 
will  see." 

The  doctor  was  right  about  the  falling  of  the  temperature ;  at 
noon  the  thermometer  stood  at  6°,  and  a  breeze  was  blowing  from 
the  northwest,  which,  while  it  cleared  the  sky,  aided  the  current 
in  accumulating  the  floating  ice  in  the  path  of  the  Forward.  It 
did  not  all  follow  the  same  course ;  often  some  pieces,  and  very 
high  ones,  too,  floated  in  the  opposite  direction  under  the  in- 
fluence of  a  submarine  current. 

The  difficulties  of  this  navigation  may  be  readily  understood ; 
the  engineers  had  no  repose;  the  engines  were  controlled  from 
the  bridge  by  means  of  levers,  which  started,  stopped,  and  reversed 
them  instantly,  at  the  orders  of  the  officer  in  command.  Some- 
times it  was  necessary  to  hasten  forward  to  enter  an  opening  in 
the  ice,  again  to  race  with  a  mass  of  ice  which  threatened  to 
block  up  their  only  egress,  or  some  p^iece,  suddenly-upsetting, 
obliged  the  brig  to  back  quickly,  in  order  to  escape  destruction. 
This  mass  of  ice,  cari'ied  and  accumulated  by  the  great  polar 
current,  was  hurried  through  the  strait,  and  if  the  frost  should 
unite  it,  it  would  present  an  impassable  barrier  to  the  Forward. 


In  these  latitudes  numberless  birds  were  to  be  found ;  petrels 
and  contremaitres  were  flying  here  and  there,  with  deafening 
cries ;  there  were  also  many  gulls,  with  their  .large  heads,  short 
necks,  and  small  beaks,  which  were  extending  their  long  wings 


52  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

and  braving  the  snow  which  the  storm  was  whirling  about.  This 
profusion  of  winged  beings  enlivened  the  scene. 

Numerous  pieces  of  wood  were  drifting  along,  clashing  con- 
tinually into  one  another ;  a  few'  whales  with  large  heads  ap- 
proached the  ship ;  but  they  could  not  think  of  chasing  them, 
although  Simpson,  the  harpooner,  earnestly  desired  it.  Towards 
evening  several  seals  were  seen,  which,  with  their  noses  just  above 
the  water,  were  swimming  among  the  great  pieces  of  ice. 

On  the  22d  the  temperature  was  still  falling ;  the  Forward 
carried  a  great  deal  of  steam  to  reach  an  easier  sailing-place  ;  the 
wind  blew  steadily  from  the  northwest ;  the  sails  were  furled. 

During  Sunday  the  sailors  had  little  to  do.  After  divine 
service,  which  was  read  by  Shandon,  the  crew  betook  themselves 
to  chasing  wild  birds,  of  which  they  caught  a  great  many.  These 
birds,  prepared  according  to  Dr.  Clawbonny's  method,  were  an 
agreeable  addition  to  the  messes  of  the  officers  and  crew. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  Forioard  sighted  the  Kin 
of  Sael,  which  lay  east  one  quarter  northeast,  and  the  Mount 
Sukkertop,  southeast  one  quarter  east  half-east ;  the  sea  was  very 
high ;  from  time  to  time  a  dense  fog  descended  suddenly  from 
the  gray  sky.  Notwithstanding,  at  noon  they  were  able  to  take 
an  observation.  The  ship  was  found  to  be  in  latitude  65°  20' 
and  longitude  54°  22'.  They  would  have  to  go  two  degrees 
farther  north  before  they  would  find  clearer  sailing. 

During  the  three  following  days,  the  24th,  25th,  and  26th  of 
April,  they  had  uninterruptedly  to  fight  with  the  ice ;  the  man- 
agement of  the  engines  became  very  tedious ;  every  minute  steam 
was  shut  off  or  reversed,  and  escaped  from  the  safety-valve. 

In  the  dense  mist  their  approach  to  the  icebergs  could  be 
known  only  by  the  dull  roar  of  the  avalanches ;  then  the  vessel 
would  shift  its  course  at  once ;  then  there  was  the  danger  of  run- 
ning into  the  masses  of  frozen  fresh  water,  which  were  as  clear 
as  crystal  and  as  hard  as  stone.  Richard  Shandon  used  to  take 
aboard  a  quantity  of  this  ice  every  day  to  supply  the  ship  with 
fresh  water. 

The  doctor  could  not  accustom  himself  to  the  optical  illusions 
produced  by  refraction ;  indeed,  an  iceberg  ten  or  twelve  miles 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  KORTH  POLE. 


53 


distant  used  to  seem  to  him  to  be  a  small  piece  of  ice  close  by ; 
he  tried  to  get  used  to  this  strange  phenomenon,  in  order  to  be 
able  by  and  by  to  overcome  the  mistakes  of  his  eyesight. 

At  last,  both  by  towing  the  brig  along  the  fields  of  ice  and  by 
pushing  off  threatening  blocks  with  poles,  the  crew  was  thor- 
oughly exhausted;  and  yet,  on  the  27th  of  April,  the  Forward 
was  still  detained  on  the  impassable  Polar  Circle. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


THE    TALK    OF    THE     CREW. 

Nevertheless,  by  taking  advantages  of  such  openings  as  there 
were,  the  Forward  succeeded  in  getting  a  few  minutes  farther 
north  ;  but,  instead  of  escaping  the  enemy,  it  would  soon  be 
necessary  to  attack  it ;  ice-fields  of  many  miles  in  extent  were 
drawing  together,  and  as  these  moving  masses  often  represent  a 
pressure  of  ten  millions  of  tons,  they  were  obliged  to  take  every 
precaution  against  being  crushed  by  them.  Ice-saws  were  placed 
outside  the  vessel,  where  they  could  be  used  without  delay. 


54  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

Some  of  the  crew  endured  their  hard  toil  without  a  murmur, 
but  others  complained  or  even  refused  to  obey  orders.  While 
they  were  putting  the  saws  in  place,  Garry,  Bolton,  Pen,  and  Grip- 
per  exchanged  their  diverse  opinions  as  follows. 

"  Deuce  take  it,"  said  Bolton,  cheerfully ;  "  I  don't  know  why 
it  just  occurs  to  me  that  in  Water  Street  there  's  a  comfort- 
able tavern,  where  one  might  be  very  well  off  between  a  glass 
of  gin  and  a  bottle  of  porter.  Can  you  see  it  from  here,  Grip- 
per  1 " 

"  To  tell  the  truth,"  answered  the  sailor  who  had  been  ad- 
dressed, and  who  generally  pretended  •  to  be  very  sullen,  "  I  must 
say  I  can't  see  it  from  here." 

"  That 's  merely  your  way  of  talking,  Gripper ;  it  is  evident 
that,  in  those  snow  towns  which  Dr.  Clawbonny  is  always  admir- 
ing, there  's  no  tavern  where  a  poor  sailor  can  moisten  his  throat 
with  a  drink  or  two  of  brandy." 

"  You  may  be  sure  of  that,  Bolton ;  and  you  might  add  that 
-on  board  of  this  ship  there  's  no  way  of  getting  properly  refreshed. 
A  strange  idea,  sending  people  into  the  northern  seas,  and  giving 
them  nothing  to  drink  !  " 

"  Well,"  answered  Garry,  "  have  you  forgotten,  Gripper,  what 
the  doctor  said  1  One  must  go  without  spirits  if  he  expects  to 
escape  the  scurvy,  remain  in  good  health,  and  sail  far." 

"  I  jdon't  care  to  sail  far,  Garry ;  and  I  think  it 's  enough  to 
have  come  as  far  as  this,  and  to  try  to  get  through  here  where 
the  Devil  does  n't  mean  to  let  us  through." 

"  Well,  we  sha'  n't  get  through,"  retorted  Pen.  "  0,  when  I 
think  I  have  already  forgotten  how  gin  tastes  ! " 

"  But,"  said  Bolton,  *'  remember  what  the  doctor  said." 

"  0,"  answered  Pen,  with  his  rough  voice,  "  that 's  all  very  well 
to  say  !  I  fancy  that  they  are  economizing  it  under  the  pretext 
of  saving  our  health." 

"  Perhaps  that  devil  Pen  is  right,"  said  Gripper. 

"  Come,  come  !  "  replied  Bolton,  "  his  nose  is  too  red  for  that ; 
and  if  a  little  abstinence  should  make  it  a  trifle  paler.  Pen  won't 
need  to  be  pitied." 

*'  Don't  trouble  yourself  about  my  nose,"  was  the  answer,  for 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  55 

Pen  was  rather  vexed.  "  My  nose  does  n't  need  your  advice  ;  it 
does  n't  ask  for  it ;  you  'd  better  mind  your  own  business." 

"  Come,  don't  be  angry,  Pen  ;  I  did  n't  think  your  nose  was  so 
tender.  I  should  be  as  glad  as  any  one  else  to  have  a  glass  of 
whiskey,  especially  on  such  a  cold  day ;  but  if  in  the  long  run  it 
does  more  harm  than  good,  why,  I  'm  very  willing  to  get  along 
without  it." 

"  You  may  get  along  without  it,"  said  Warren,  the  stoker,  who 
had  joined  them,  "  but  it  's  not  everybody  on  board  who  gets 
along  without  it." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Warren  1 "  asked  Garry,  looking  at  him 
intently. 

"  I  mean  that  for  one  purpose  or  another  there  is  liquor  aboard, 
and  I  fancy  that  aft  they  don't  get  on  without  it." 

"  What  do  you  know  about  it  ? "  asked  Garry. 

Warren  could  not  answer ;  he  spoke  for  the  sake  of  speaking. 

"  You  see,  Garry,"  continued  Bolton,  "  that  W^arren  knows 
nothing  about  it." 

"  Well,"  said  Pen,  "  we  '11  ask  the  commander  for  a  ration  of 
gin  ;  we  deserve  it,  and  we  '11  see  what  he  '11  say." 

"I  advise  you  not  to,"  said  Garry. 

"  Why  not  1 "  cried  Pen  and  Gripper. 

"  Because  the  commander  will  refuse  it.  You  knew  what  the 
conditions  were  when  you  shipped ;  you  ought  to  think  of  that 
now." 

"  Besides,"  said  Bolton,  who  was  not  averse  to  taking  Garry's 
side,  for  he  liked  him,  "  Richard  Shandon  is  not  master ;  he  's 
under  orders  like  the  rest  of  us." 

"  Whose  orders  %  "  asked  Pen. 

"  The  captain's." 

"  Ah,  that  ridiculous  captain's  !  "  cried  Pen.  "  Don't  you 
know  there  's  no  more  captain  than  there  is  tavern  on  the  ice  ] 
That 's  a  mean  way  of  refusing  politely  what  we  ask  for." 

"  But  there  is  a  captain,"  persisted  Bolton ;  *'  and  I  '11  wager 
two  months'  pay  that  we  shall  see  him  before  long." 

"  All  right  ! "  said  Pen  ;  "  I  should  like  to  give  him  a  piece  of 
my  mind." 


56  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BATTER  AS. 

"  Who  's  talking  about  the  captain  1 "  said  a  new  speaker. 

It  was  Clifton,  who  was  inclined  to  be  superstitious  and  en 
vious  at  the  same  time. 

"  Is  there  any  news  about  the  captain  % "  he  asked. 

"  No,"  a  single  voice  answered. 

"Well,  I  expect  to  find  him  settled  in  his  cabin  some  fine 
morning,  and  without  any  one's  knowing  how  or  whence  he  came 
aboard." 

"  Nonsense  ! "  answered  Bolton  ;  "  you  imagine,  Clifton,  that 
he  's  an  imp,  a  hobgoblin  such  as  are  seen  in  the  Scotch  High- 
lands." 

"  Laugh  if  you  want  to,  Bolton  ;  that  won't  alter  my  opinion. 
Every  day  as  I  pass  the  cabin  I  peep  in  through  the  keyhole, 
and  one  of  these  days  I  '11  tell  you  what  he  looks  like,  and  how 
he  's  made." 

"  0,  the  devil !  "  said  Pen ;  "  he  '11  look  like  everybody  else. 
And  if  he  wants  to  lead  us  where  we  don't  want  to  go,  we  '11  let 
him  know  what  we  think  about  it." 

"  All  right,"  said  Bolton  ;  "  Pen  does  n't  know  him,  and  wants 
to  quarrel  with  him  already." 

"  Who  does  n't  know  all  about  him  ? "  asked  Clifton,  with  the  air 
of  a  man  who  has  the  whole  story  at  his  tongue's  end ;  "I  should 
like  to  know  who  does  n't." 

*'  What  do  you  mean  V  asked  Gripper. 

"  I  know  very  well  what  I  mean." 

*'But  we  don't." 

"  Well,  Pen  has  already  had  trouble  with  him." 

"  With  the  captain  ?" 

"  Yes,  the  dog-captain  ;  for  it  's  the  same  thing  precisely." 

The  sailors  gazed  at  one  another,  incapable  of  replying. 

"  Dog  or  man,"  muttered  Pen,  between  his  teeth,  "  I  '11  bet 
he  '11  get  his  account  settled  one  of  these  days." 

*•  Why,  Clifton,"  asked  Bolton,  seriously,  "  do  you  imagine,  as 
Johnson  said  in  joke,  that  that  dog  is  the  real  captain  ? " 

"  Certainly,  I  do,"  answered  Clifton,  with  some  warmth  ;  "  and 
if  you  had  watched  him  as  carefully  as  I  have,  you  'd  have  noticed 
his  strange  ways." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


57 


"  What  ways  1   Tell  us." 

*'  Have  n't  you  noticed  the  way  he  walks  up  and  down  the 
poop-deck  as  if  he  commanded  the  ship,  keeping  his  eye  on  the 
sails  as  i^  he  were  on  watch  % " 

"  That 's  so,"  said  Gripper  ;  "  and  one  evening  I  found  him  with 
his  pawa  on  the  wheel." 


"  Impossible  !  "  said  Bolton. 

"  And  then,"  continued  Clifton,  "  does  n't  he  run  out  at  night 
on  the  ice-fields  without  caring  for  the  bears  or  the  cold  1 " 

"  That 's  true,"  said  Bolton. 

"Did  you  ever  see  him  making  up  to  the  men  like  an  honest 
dog,  or  hanging  aroimd  the  kitchen,  and  following  the  cook  when 
he  's  carrying  a  savory  dish  to  the  officers  ?  Have  n't  you  all 
heard  him  at  night,  when  he  's  run  two  or  three  miles  away  from 


58  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

the  vessel,  howling  so  that  he  makes  your  blood  run  cold,  and 
that  'b  not  easy  in  weather  like  this  %  Did  you  ever  seen  him  eat 
anything "?  He  never  takes  a  morsel  from  any  one;  he  never 
touches  the  food  that 's  given  him,  and,  unless  some  onfe  on  board 
feeds  him  secretly,  I  can  say  he  lives  without  eating.  Now,  if 
that 's  not  strange,  I  'm  no  better  than  a  beast  myself." 

"  Upon  my  word,"  answered  Bell,  the  carpenter,  who  had  heard 
all  of  Clifton's  speech,  "  it  may  be  so." 

But  all  the  other  sailors  were  silent. 

"  Well,  as  for  me,"  continued  Clifton,  "  I  can  say  that  if  you 
don't  believe,  there  are  wiser  people  on  board  who  don't  seem  so 
sure." 

"  Do  you  mean  the  mate  1 "  asked  Bolton. 

"  Yes,  the  mate  and  the  doctor." 

"  Do  you  think  they  fancy  the  same  thing  'i " 

"  I  have  heard  them  talking  about  it,  and  they  could  make  no 
more  out  of  it  than  we  can  ;  they  imagined  a  thousand  things 
which  did  not  satisfy  them  in  the  least." 

"  Did  they  say  the  same  things  about  the  dog  that  you  did, 
Clifton  % "  asked  the  carpenter. 

"  If  they  were  not  talking  about  the  dog,"  answered  Clifton, 
who  was  fairly  cornered,  "  they  were  talking  about  the  captain ; 
it 's  exactly  the  same  thing,  and  they  confessed  it  was  all  very 
strange." 

"  Well,  my  friends,"  said  Bell,  "  do  you  want  to  hear  my 
opinion  ] " 

"IVhat  is  it !  "  they  all  cried. 

"It  is  that  there  is  not,  and  there  will  not  be,  any  other  cap- 
tain than  Richard  Shandon." 

"  And  the  letter  1 "  said  Clifton.  ^ 

"  The  letter  was  genuine,"  answered  Bell ;  "  it  is  perfectly  true 
that  some  unknown  person  has  equipped  the  Forward  for  an 
expedition  in  the  ice ;  but  the  ship  once  off,  no  one  will  come  on 
board." 

"  Well,"  asked  Bolton,  "  where  is  the  ship  going  to  T' 

"  I  don't  know  ;  at  the  right  time,  Richard  Shandon  will  get 
the  rest  of  the  instructions." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  59 

"  But  from  whom  1 " 

"  From  whom  1 " 

"  Yes,  in  what  way  1 "  asked  Bolton,  who  was  becoming  per- 
sistent. 

"  Come,  Bell,  an  answer,"  said  the  other  sailors. 

"  From  whom  1  in  what  way  1     0,  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know  ! " 
,     "  Well,  from  the  dog !  "  cried  Clifton.    "  He  has  already  written 
once,  and  he  can  again.      0,  if  I  only  knew  half  as  much  as  he 
does,  I  might  be  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  !  " 

"  So,"  added  Bolton,  in  conclusion,  "  you  persist  in  saying  that 
dog  is  the  captain  %  " 

"Yes,  I  do." 

"  Well,"  said  Pen,  gruffly,  "  if  that  beast  doesn't  want  to  die  in 
a  dog's  skin,  he  'd  better  hurry  and  turn  into  a  man  ;  for,  on  my 
word,  I  '11  finish  him." 

«  Why  so  1 "  asked  Garry. 

"  Because  I  want  to,"  answered  Pen,  brutally ;  "  and  I  don't 
care  what  any  one  says." 

"  You  have  been  talking  long  enough,  men,"  shouted  the  boat- 
swain, advancing  at  the  moment  when  the  conversation  threat- 
ened to  become  dangerous  ;  "  to  work,  and  have  the  saws  put  in 
quicker  !     We  must  get  through  the  ice." 

"  Good !  on  Friday  too,"  answered  Clifton,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.     "  You  won't  find  it  so  easy  to  cross  the  Polar  Circle." 

Whatever  the  reason  may  have  been,  the  exertions  of  the 
crew  on  that  day  were  nearly  fruitless.  The  Forward^  plunging, 
under  a  full  head  of  steam,  against  the  floes,  could  not  separate 
them ;  they  were  obliged  to  lie  at  anchor  that  night. 

On  Saturday,  the  temperature  fell  still  lower  under  the  influ- 
ence of  an  east-wind  ;  the  sky  cleared  up,  and  they  all  had  a 
wide  view  over  the  white  expense,  which  shone  brilliantly  beneath 
the  bright  rays  of  the  sun.  At  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the 
thermometer  stood  at  8°  above  zero. 

The  doctor  was  tempted  to  remain  quietly  in  his  cabin,  or 
read  over  the  accounts  of  arctic  journeys ;  but  he  asked  himself, 
following  his  usual  habit,  what  would  be  the  most  disagreeable 
thing  he  could  do  at  that  moment.     He  thought  that  to  go  on 


60 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 


deck  on  such  a  cold  day  and  help  the  men  would  not  be  attrac- 
tive. So,  faithful  to  his  line  of  conduct,  he  left  his  well-warmed 
cabin,  and  went  out  to  help  tow  the  ship.  He  looked  strange 
with  his  green  glasses,  which  he  wore  to  protect  his  eyes  against 
the  brilliancy  of  the  sun,  and  after  that  he 
always  took  good  care  to  wear  snow-spectacles 
as  a  security  against  the  inflammation  of  the 
eyes,  which  is  so  common  in  these  latitudes. 

By  evening  the  Forward  had  got  several 
miles  farther  north,  thanks  to  the  energy  of 
the  men  and  the  intelligence  of  Shandon, 
who  was  quick  at  utilizing  every  favorable 
circumstance ;  at  midnight  they  crossed  the  sixty-sixth  parallel, 
and  the  lead  announcing  a  depth  of  twenty-three  fathoms,  Shan- 
don knew  that  he  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  shoal  on 
which  her  Majesty's  ship  Victory  grounded.  Land  lay  thirty 
miles  to  the  east. 


But  then  the  mass  of  ice,  which  had  hitherto  been  stationary, 
separated,  and  began  to  move  ;  icebergs  seemed  to  rise  in  all 
points  of  the  horizon ;  the  brig  was  caught  in  a  number  of  whirl- 
pools of  irresistible  force  ;  controlling  her  became  so  hard,  that 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  61 

Garry,  the  best  steersman,  took  the  helm ;  the  masses  began  to 
close  behind  the  brig,  hence  it  was  necessary  to  cut  through  the 
ice;  both  prudence  and  duty  commanded  them  to  go  forward. 
The  difficulties  were  enhanced  by  the  impossibility  of  Shandon's 
fixing  the  direction  of  the  brig. among  all  the  changing  points, 
which  were  continually  shifting  and  presenting  no  definite  point 
to  be  aimed  at. 

The  crew  were  divided  into  two  forces,  and  one  stationed  on 
the  starboard,  the  other  on  the  larboard  side;  every  man  was 
given  a  long  iron-headed  pole,  with  which  to  ward  off  threatening 
pieces  of  ice.  Soon  the  Forward  entered  such  a  narrow  passage 
between  two  lofty  pieces,  that  the  ends  of  the  yards  touched  its 
solid  walls  ;  gradually  it  penetrated  farther  into  a  winding  valley 
filled  with  a  whirlwind  of  snow,  while  the  floating  ice  was  crash- 
ing ominously  all  about. 

But  soon  it  was  evident  that  there  was  no  outlet  to  this 
gorge ;  a  huge  block,  caught  in  the  channel,  was  floating  swiftly 
down  to  the  Forward;  it  seemed  impossible  to  escape  it,  and 
equally  impossible  to  return  through  an  already  closed  path. 

Shandon  and  Johnson,  standing  on  the  forward  deck,  were 
viewing  their  position.  Shandon  with  his  right  hand  signalled  to 
the  man  at  the  wheel  what  direction  he  was  to  take,  Bnd  with 
his  left  hand  he  indicated  to  James  Wall  the  orders  for  the 
engines. 

"  What  will  be  the  end  of  this  % "  asked  the  doctor  of  Johnson. 

"  What  pleases  God,"  answered  the  boatswain. 

The  block  of  ice,  eight  hundred  feet  high,  was  hardly  more 
than  a  cable's  length  from  the  Forivard,  and  threatened  to  crush 
it. 

Pen  broke  out  with  a  fearful  oath. 

"Silence  !"  cried  a  voice  which  it  was  impossible  to  recognize, 
in  the  roar  of  the  hurricane. 

The  mass  appeared  to  be  falling  upon  the  brig,  and  there  was 
an  indefinable  moment  of  terror ;  the  men,  dropping  their  poles, 
ran  aft  in  spite  of  Shandon's  orders. 

Suddenly,  a  terrible  noise  was  heard ;  a  real  water-spout  fell 
on  the  deck  of  the  brig,  which  was  lifted  in  the  air  by  a  huge 


62 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


wave.  The  crew  uttered  a  cry  of  terror,  while  Garry,  still  firm  at 
the  wheel,  kept  the  course  of  the  Forwai^d  steady,  in  spite  of  the 
fearful  lurch. 

And  when  they  looked  for  the  mountain  of  ice,  it  had  disap- 
peared \  the  passage  was  free,  and  beyond,  a  long  channel,  lit  up 
by  the  sun,  allowed  the  brig  to  continue  her  advance. 

"Well,  Dr.  Clawbonny,"  said  Johnson,  "can  you  explain 
thatr' 

"  It 's  very  simple,  my  friend,"  answered  the  doctor.  "  It  hap- 
pens very  often ;  when  these  floating  masses  get  detached  in  a 
thaw,  they  float  away  in  perfect  equilibrium;  but  as  they  get 
towards  the  south,  where  the  water  is  relatively  warmer,  their 
base,  eaten  away  by  running  into  other  pieces,  begins  to  melt, 
and  be  undermined ;  then  comes  a  moment  when  the  centre  of 
gravity  is  displaced,  and  they  turn  upside  down.  Only,  if  this 
had  happened  two  minutes  later,  it  would  have  fallen  on  the  brig 
and  crushed  us  beneath  it." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


63 


CHAPTER    IX 


ANOTHER    LETTER. 

The  Polar  Circle  was  crossed  at  last ;  on  the  30th  of  April,  at 
midday,  the  Forward  passed  by  Holsteinborg ;  picturesque  moun- 
tains arose  in  the  east.  The  sea  appeared  almost  free  of  ice,  or, 
more  exactly,  the  ice  could  be  avoided.  The  wind  was  from  the 
southeast,  and  the  brig,  under  foresail,  staysail,  and  topsails, 
sailed  up  Baffin's  Bay. 

That  day  was  exceptionally  calm  and  the  crew  was  able  to  get 
some  rest ;  numerous  birds  were  swimming  and  flying  about  the 
ship ;  among  others,  the  doctor  noticed  some  wild  birds  which 
were  very  like  teal,  with  black  neck,  wings,  and  back,  and  a  white 
breast;  they  were  continually  diving,  and  often  remained  more 
than  forty  seconds  under  water. 

This  day  would  not 
have  been  marked  by 
any  new  incident,  if  the 
following  extraordinary 
fact  had  not  taken  place. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  on  returning  to 
his  cabin  after  his  watch 
was  over,  Richard  Shandon  found  on  his  table  a  letter,  addressed 
as  follows  :  — 

To  Commander  Richard  Shandon, 

On  board  the  Forward, 

Baffin's  Bay. 

Shandon  could  not  believe  his  eyes ;  but  before  reading  it,  he 
summoned  the  doctor,  James  Wall,  and  the  boatswain,  and  showed 
them  the  letter. 

"It's  getting  interesting,"  said  Johnson. 

"  It 's  delightful,"  thought  the  doctor. 


64  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"  Well,"  cried  Shandon,  "  at  last  we  shall  know  his  secret." 
He   toie   open   the   envelope    rapidly,    and   read   the    follow- 
ing:  — 

Commander  :  The  captain  of  the  Forward  is  satisfied  with  the 
coolness,  skill,  and  courage  which  the  crew,  officers,  and  you,  yourself, 
have  shown  of  late  ;  he  begs  of  you  to  express  his  thanks  to  the  crew. 

Be  good  enough  to  sail  due  north  towards  Melville  Bay,  and  thence 
try  to  penetrate  into  Smith's  Sound. 

CaptaiT},  of  the  Forward. 
Monday,  April  30,  Off  Cape  Walsingham. 

"  And  is  that  all ?"  cried  the  doctor. 

"  That 's  all,"  answered  Shandon. 

The  letter  fell  from  his  hands. 

"  Well,"  said  Wall,  "  this  imaginary  captain  says  nothing  about 
coming  on  board.     I  don't  believe  he  ever  will." 

"  But  how  did  this  letter  get  here  1 "  asked  Johnson. 

Shandon  was  silent. 

"  Mr.  Wall  is  right,"  answered  the  doctor,  who  had  picked  up 
the  letter,  and  who  was  turning  it  over  with  hands  as  well  as  in 
his  mind.  "  The  captain  won't  come  on  board,  and  for  an  excel- 
lent reason." 

"  What  is  it  1 "  asked  Shandon,  quickly.   . 

"  Because  he  's  on  board  now,"  answered  the  doctor,  simply. 

"  Now  ! "  exclaimed  Shandon,  "  what  do  you  mean  'i " 

"  How  else  can  you  explain  the  arrival  of  this  letter  1 " 

Johnson  nodded  approvingly. 

"  Impossible  !  "  said  Shandon,  warmly.  "  I  know  all  the  men 
in  the  crew  ;  can  he  have  smuggled  himself  into  their  number 
since  we  leftl  It 's  impossible,  I  tell  you.  For  more  than  two 
years  I  've  seen  every  one  of  them  more  than  a  hundred  times  in 
Liverpool ;  so  your  conjecture,  Doctor,  is  untenable." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  admit,  Shandon  1 " 

"  Everything,  except  that.  I  admit  that  the  captain  or  some 
tool  of  his,  for  all  I  know,  may  have  taken  advantage  of  the  dark- 
ness, the  mist,  or  whatever  you  please,  to  slip  on  board ;  we  are 
not  far  from  shore  ;  there  are  the  kayaks  of  the  Esquimaux  which 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  65 

could  get  through  the  ice  without  our  seeing  them  ;  so  some  one 
may  have  come  on  board  the  ship,  left  the  letter,  —  the  fog  was 
thick  enough  to  make  this  possible." 

"  And  to  prevent  them  from  seeing  the  brig,"  answered  the 
doctor  ;  "  if  we  did  n't  see  the  intruder  slip  aboard  the  Forward^ 
how  could  he  see  the  Forward  in  the  fog  1 " 

"  That  's  true,"  said  Johnson. 

"So  I  return  to  my  explanation,"  said  the  doctor;  "what  do 
you  think  of  it,  Shandon  ] " 

*'  Whatever  you  please,"  answered  Shandon,  hotly,  "except  that 
the  man  is  on  board." 

"  Perhaps,"  added  Wall,  "there  is  some  man  in  the  crew  who 
is  acting  under  his  instructions." 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  But  who  can  it  be  1 "  asked  Shandon.  "  I  've  known  all  my 
men  for  a  long  time." 

"  At  any  rate,"  resumed  Johnson,  "  if  this  captain  presents 
himself,  whether  as  man  or  devil,  we  shall  receive  him ;  but 
there  's  something  else  to  be  drawn  from  this  letter." 

"  What  is  that  1 "   asked  Shandon. 

"It  is  that  we  must  go  not  only  into  Melville  Bay,  but  also 
into  Smith's  Sound." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  Smith's  Sound,"  repeated  Shandon,  mechanically. 

"So  it 's  very  plain,"  continued  Johnson,  "that  the  Forward  is 
not  intended  to  seek  the  Northwest  Passage,  since  we  leave  to  the 
left,  the  only  way  towards  it,  that  is  to  say,  Lancaster  Sound. 
This  would  seem  to  promise  a  difficult  journey  in  unknown  seas." 

"Yes,  Smith's  Sound,"  replied  Shandon;  "that's  the  route 
Kane,  the  American,  took  in  1853,  and  it  was  full  of  dangers. 
For  a  long  time  he  was  given  up  for  lost.  Well,  if  we  must  go, 
we  '11  go.     But  how  far  1    To  the  Pole  % " 

"  And  why  not  % "  cried  the  doctor. 

The  mention  of  such  a  foolhardy  attempt  made  the  boatswain 
shrug  his  shoulders. 

"  Well,"  said  James  Wall,  "  to  come  back  to  the  captain,  if  he 
exists.     I  don't  see  that  there  are  any  places  on  the  coast  of 


66  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERA8. 

Greenland  except  Disco  and  Upemavik,  where  he  can  be  waiting 
for  us ;  in  a  few  days  that  question  will  be  settled." 

"But,"  asked  the  doctor  of  Shandon,  "are  you  not  going  to 
tell  the  crew  about  this  letter  T' 

"  With  the  commander's  permission,"  answered  Johnson,  "  I 
should  not  do  so." 

"And  why  not]"  asked  Shandon. 

"  Because  everything  mysterious  and  extraordinary  tends  to 
discourage  the  men ;  they  are  already  very  much  troubled,  as  it 
is,  about  the  nature  of  the  journey.  Now,  if  any  supernatural 
circumstances  should  become  known,  it  might  be  harmful,  and 
perhaps  at  a  critical  moment  we  should  not  be  able  to  count  on 
them.     What  do  you  think,  Commander  1 " 

"  And  what  do  you  think,  Doctor  ? "  asked  Shandon. 

"  Boatswain  Johnson  seems  to  me  to  reason  well,"  answered 
the  doctor. 

"  And  you,  James  1 " 

"  Having  no  better  opinion,  I  agree  with  these  gentlemen." 

Shandon  reflected  for  a  few  minutes ;  he  reread  the  letter 
attentively. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "your  opinion  is  certainly  worthy  of 
respect,  but  I  cannot  adopt  it." 

"  Why  not,  Shandon  1 "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  Because  the  instructions  in  this  letter  are  formal ;  it  tells  me 
to  give  the  captain's  thanks  to  the  crew  ;  now,  hitherto  I  have 
strictly  obeyed  his  orders,  in  whatever  way  they  have  been  given 
to  me,  and  I  cannot  —  " 

"  Still  —  "  interposed  Johnson,  who  had  a  warrantable  dread 
of  the  effect  of  such  communications  on  the  men's  spirits. 

"  My  dear  Johnson,"  said  Shandon,  "  I  understand  your  objec- 
tion ;  your  reasons  are  very  good,  but  read  that  :  — 

"  He  begs  of  you  to  express  his  thanks  to  the  crew." 

"  Do  as  he  bids,"  replied  Johnson,  who  was  always  a  strict  dis- 
ciplinarian.    "  Shall  I  assemble  the  crew  on  deck  %  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Shandon. 

The  news  of  a  message  from  the  captain  was  immediately 
whispered  throughoift  the  ship.     The  sailors  took  their  station 


THE  Hmtim  AT  THE  HORTH  POLE. 


67 


without  delay,  and  the  commander  read  aloud  the  mysterious 
letter. 

It  was  received  with  dead  silence ;  the  crew  separated  under 
the  influence  of  a  thousand  suppositions ;  Clifton  had  plenty  of 
material  for  any  superstitious  vagaries  ;  a  great  deal  was  ascribed 
by  him  to  the  dog-captain,  and  he  never  failed  to  salute  him 
every  time  he  met  him. 

"Did  n't  I  tell  you,"  he  used  to  say  to  the  sailors,  "that  he 
knew  how  to  write  % " 

No  one  made  any  answer,  and  even  Bell,  the  carpenter,  would 
have  found  it  hard  to  reply. 

Nevertheless,  it  was  plain  to  every  one,  that  if  the  captain  was 
not  on  board,  his  shade  or  spirit  was  watching  them ;  henceforth, 
the  wisest  kept  their  opinions  to  themselves. 

At  midday  of  May  1st,  their  observation  showed  them  that  they 
were  in  latitude  68°  and  longitude  56°  32'.  The  temperature 
had  risen,  the  thermometer  standing  at  25°  above  zero. 


the 


le  their  way  to  shore. 
The  doctor  amused  himself  wit' children,  all  Esquimaux,  re- 
she-bear  and  two  cubs  on  socr^  doctor,  who  was  the  philologist 
companied  by  Wall  and  Sim  lish  to  establish  friendly  relations ; 
canoe ;  but  she  was  in  a  verier  of  the  party  as  well  as  ice-mas- 
her young,  so  that  the  docto^)rds  of  the  language  of  the  Green- 


68  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAFTAIN  HATTERAS. 

During  the  night  a  favorable  breeze  carried  them  well  to  the 
north,  and  soon  the  lofty  mountains  of  Disco  were  peering 
above  the  horizon  ;  Godharn  Bay,  where  the  governor  of  the  Da- 
nish settlements  lived,  was  left  on  the  right.  Shandon  did  not 
consider  it  necessary  to  land,  and  he  soon  passed  by  the  canoes  of 
the  Esquimaux,  who  had  put  out  to  meet  him. 

The  island  of  Disco  is  also  called  Whale  Island ;  it  is  from  here 
that,  on  the  12th  of  July,  1845,  Sir  John  Franklin  wrote  to  the 
Admiralty  for  the  last  time,  and  it  was  also  here  that  Captain 

MacClintock  stopped 
on  his  way  back,  bring- 
ing too  sure  proofs  of 
the  loss  of  that  expe- 
dition. 

This  coincidence  was 
not  unknown  to  the 
doctor;  the  place  was 
one  of  sad  memories, 
but  soon  the  heights 
of  Disco  were  lost  to 
view. 

There  were  many 
icebergs  on  its  shores, 
which  no  thaws  ever  melt  away;  this  gives  the  island  a  singular 
appearance  from  the  sea. 

The  next  day,  at  about  three  o'clock,  Sanderson's  Hope  appeared 
in  the  northeast ;  land  lay  about  fifteen  miles  to  starboard  ;  the 
mountains  appeared  of  a  dusky  red  hue.  During  the  evening 
many  fin-backs  were  seen  playing  in  the   ice,  and  occasionally 

blowing.  .  . 
....II ;  your  rea...   ._^^  ^^  ^      ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^  ^^^^ 

"  He  begs  of  you  to  o^      ,     .  .^,      ,      ...  .        ^ 

,     ,   *,    M       1.  'i  horizon  without  setting  ;  since  Janu- 
"  Do  as  he  bids,    replied  u    ^^,       ,  j  , 

,    „  T  1  vtting  longer  every  day,  and  now 

ciplinarian.     "  Shall  I  assemble 

"  Yes,"  answered  Shandon.  j  x     -x  xi  •  x-  c 

'  -         ed  to  it,  this  continuance  oi 

The  news  of   a  message  from      .  ,  r  • 

II.-        n^^^se,  and  even  of  weariness ; 
whispered  throughout  the  sh.p.     1,^^^  ^^^^^^^  ^^^^^  ^.^^^  .^ 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


69 


for  the  eyes  ;  the  doctor  actually  suffered  from  the  continual  bril- 
liancy, which  was  increased  by  the  reflection  from  the  ice. 

May  5th  the  Forward  passed  the  sixty-second  parallel.  Two 
months  later  they  would  have  met  numerous  whalers  in  these 
latitudes ;  but  the  straits  were  not  yet  free  enough  to  allow  easy 
ingress  into  Baffin's  Bay. 

The  next  day,  the  brig,  after  passing  Woman's  Island,  came  in 
sight  of  Upernavik,  the  northernmost  station  of  Denmark  in 
these  lands. 


CHAPTER   X. 


DANGEROUS    SAILING. 

Shandon,  Dr.  Clawbonny,  Johnson,  Foker,  and  Strong,  the 
cook,  got  into  one  of  the  boats  and  made  their  w^ay  to  shore. 

The  Governor,  his  wife  and  five  children,  all  Esquimaux,  re- 
ceived their  visitors  kindly.  The  doctor,  who  was  the  philologist 
of  the  party,  knew  enough  Danish  to  establish  friendly  relations ; 
moreover,  Foker,  the  interpreter  of  the  party  as  well  as  ice-mas- 
ter, knew  a  dozen  or  two  words  of  the  language  of  the  Green- 
12 


70 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  EATTERAS. 


landers,  and  with  that  number  of  words  one  can  express  a  great 
deal,  if  he  is  not  too  ambitious. 

The  Governor  was  born  on  the  island  of  Disco,  and  he  has 
never  left  the  place ;  he  did  the  honors  of  his  capital,  which  con- 
sisted of  three  wooden  houses,  for  himself  and  the  Lutheran  min- 
ister, of  a  school,  and 
shops  which  were  sup- 
plied by  what  was  cast 
upon  the  shore  from 
wrecked  ships.  The 
rest  of  the  town  con- 
sisted of  snow  huts, 
into  which  the  Esqui- 
maux crawl  through  a 
single  opening. 

A  great  part  of  the 
population  came  out 
to  meet  the  Forward, 
and  more  than  one  of 
them  went  as  far  as 
the  middle  of  the  bay 
in  his  kayak,  fifteen 
feet  long  and  two 
broad  at  the  widest 
part. 

The  doctor  knew 
that  the  word  Esquimaux  meant  "  eater  of  raw  fish " ;  but  he 
knew  too  that  this  name  is  considered  an  insult  in  this  country, 
so  he  forbore  giving  it  to  the  inhabitants  of  Greenland. 

And  yet,  from  the  oily  sealskin  clothes  and  boots,  from  their 
squat,  fat  figures,  which  make  it  hard  to  distinguish  the  men 
from  the  women,  it  was  easy  to  declare  the  nature  of  their  food ; 
besides,  like  all  fish-eating  people,  they  were  somewhat  troubled 
by  leprosy,  but  their  general  health  was  not  impaired  by  it. 

The  Lutheran  minister  and  his  wife,  with  whom  the  doctor  had 
promised  himself  an  interesting  talk,  happened  to  be  away  on  the 
shore  of  Proven,  south  of  Upernavik ;  hence  he  was  compelled  to 


Fortunately  the  opening  of  these  huts  was  too  small,  and  the  enthusiastic  doctor 
could  not  get  through."  —  Page  71. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


71 


seek  the  company  of  the  Governor.  The  chief  magistrate  did  not 
appear  to  be  very  well  informed  :  a  little  less,  he  would  have  been 
a  fool ;  a  little  more,  and  he  would  have  known  how  to  read. 

In  spite  of  that,  the  doctor  questioned  him  about  the  com- 
merce, habits,  and  manners  of  the  Esquimaux ;  and  he  learned,  by 
means  of  gestures,  that  the  seals  were  worth  about  forty  pounds 
when  delivered  at  Copenhagen ;  a  bear-skin  brought  forty  Danish 
dollars,  the  skin  of  a  blue  fox  four,  and  of  a  white  fox  two  or 
three  dollars. 

In  order  to  make  his  knowledge  complete,  the  doctor  wanted 
to  visit  an  Esquimaux  hut ;  a  man  who  seeks  information  is  capa- 
ble of  enduring  anything ;  fortunately  the  opening  of  these  huts 
was  too  small,  and  the  enthusiastic  doctor  could  not  get  through. 
It  was  fortunate  for  him,  for  there  is  nothing  more  repulsive  than 
the  sight  of  that  crowd  of  living  and  dead  objects,  of  seal's  bodies 
and  Esquimaux-flesh,  decayed  fish  and  unclean  clothing,  which 
fill  a  Greenland  hut ;  there  is  no  window  to  renew  that  suffocating 
air ;  there  is  only  a  hole  at  the  top  of  the  cabin  which  lets  the 
smoke  out,  but  gives  no  relief  to  the  stench. 

Foker  gave  all  these  details  to  the  doctor,  but  he  none  the  less 
bewailed  his  portliness.  He  wanted  to  judge  for  himself  these 
emanations  sui  generis. 


"  I  am  sure,"  said  he,  "  that  one  could  get  used  to  it  in  time." 
In  time  shows  clearly  the  doctor's  character. 


72  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  IIATTERAS. 

During  these  ethnographic  studies  on  his  part,  Shandon  was 
busying  himself,  according  to  his  instructions,  with  procuring 
means  of  travel  on  the  ice ;  he  was  obliged  to  pay  four  pounds 
for  a  sledge  and  six  dogs,  and  the  natives  were  reluctant  to  sell 
even  at  this  price. 

Shandon  would  have  liked  to  engage  Hans  Christian,  the  skil- 
ful driver  of  the  dogs,  who  accompanied  Captain  MacClintock, 
but  Hans  was  then  in  Southern  Greenland. 

Then  came  up  the  great  question  of  the  day;  was  there  at 
Upemavik  a  European  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  Forward  ?  Did 
the  Governor  know  of  any  stranger,  probably  an  Englishman,  who 
had  come  into  these  latitudes  ^  How  recently  had  they  seen  any 
whalers  or  other  ships  *? 

To  these  questions  the  Governor  answered  that  no  stranger  had 
landed  on  that  part  of  the  coast  for  more  than  ten  months. 

Shandon  asked  the  names  of  the  whalers  which  had  last  ar- 
rived ;  he  recognized  none.     He  was  in  despair. 

"You  must  confess.  Doctor,  that  it  passes  all  comprehension," 
he  said  to  his  companion.  "  Nothing  at  Cape  Farewell !  nothing 
at  Disco  !  nothing  at  Upernavik  !  " 

"Tell  me  in  a  few  days  from  now,  nothing  at  Melville  Bay, 
my  dear  Shandon,  and  I  will  salute  you  as  sole  captain  of  the 
Forwardy 

The  boat  returned  to  the  brig  towards  evening,  bringing  back 
the  visitors  to  the  shore ;  Strong  had  bought  several  dozen  eider- 
duck's  eggs,  which  were  twice  as  large  as  hen's  eggs,  and  of  a 
greenish  color.  It  was  not  much,  but  it  was  very  refreshing  for 
a  crew  accustomed  to  little  but  salt  meat. 

The  next  day  the  wind  was  fair,  but  yet  Shandon  did  not  set 
sail;  he  wanted  to  wait  another  day,  and,  to  satisfy  his  con- 
science, to  give  time  for  any  member  of  the  human  race  to  rejoin 
thd  Forward ;  he  even  fired  off,  every  hour,  the  ship's  gun,  which 
re-echoed  among  the  icebergs ;  but  he  only  succeeded  in  frighten- 
ing the  flocks  of  molly-mokes*  and  rotches.*  During  the  night 
many  rockets  were  set  off;  but  in  vain.  He  had  to  give  the 
order  to  set  sail. 

*  Sea-birds  common  in  these  latitudes. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  73 

The  8th  of  May,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  Forward, 
under  her  topsails,  foresail,  and  main-top-gallant-sail,  soon  lost 
sight  of  the  station  of  Upernavik,  and  hideous  long  poles  on 
which  were  hanging  along  the  shore  the  seals'  entrails  and  deers' 
stomachs. 

The  wind  was  southeast,  the  thermometer  stood  at  32°.  The 
sun  pierced  through  the  fog  and  the  ice  melted  a  little. 

The  reflection,  however,  injured  the  sight  of  many  of  the  crew. 
Wolston,  the  armorer,  Gripper,  Clifton,  and  Bell  were  attacked  by 
snow-blindness,  which  is  very  common  in  the  spring,  and  which 
totally  blinds  many  of  the  Esquimaux.  The  doctor  advised  all,  the 
unharmed  as  well  as  the  suffering,  to  cover  their  faces  with  a  green 
veil,  and  he  was  the  first  to  follow  his  own  recommendation. 

The  dogs  bought  by  Shandon  at  Upernavik  were  rather  wild ; 
but  they  soon  got  used  to  their  new  quarters,  and  Captain  showed 
no  dislike  of  his  new  companions ;  he  seemed  to  know  their  ways. 
Clifton  was  not  the  last  to  remark  that  Captain  seemed  to  be 
familiar  with  the  dogs  of  Greenland.  And  they,  always  half 
starved  on  shore,  only  thought  of  making  up  for  it  when  at  sea. 

The  9th  of  May  the  Forward  passed  within  a  few  cable-lengths 
of  the  westernmost  of  the  Baffin  Islands.  The  doctor  noticed 
many  rocks  between  the  islands  and  the  mainland  which  were 
what  are  called  crimson  cliffs ;  they  were  covered  with  snow  as 
red  as  carmine,  which  Dr.  Kane  says  is  of  purely  vegetable  ori- 
gin ;  Clawbonny  wanted  to  examine  this  singular  phenomenon, 
but  the  ice  forbade  their  approaching  them ;  although  the  tem- 
perature was  rising,  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the  icebergs  and  ice- 
streams  were  accumulating  toward  the  north  of  Baffin's  Bay. 

After  leaving  Upernavik  the  land  presented  a  different  appear- 
ance, and  huge  glaciers  were  sharply  defined  against  the  gray 
horizon.  On  the  10th  the  Forward  left  on  its  right  Kingston 
Bay,  near  the  seventy-fourth  degree  of  latitude ;  Lancaster  Sound 
opened  into  the  sea  many  hundred  miles  to  the  west. 

But  then  this  vast  expanse  of  water  was  hidden  beneath  enor- 
mous fields  of  ice,  in  which  arose  the  hummocks,  uniform  as 
a  homogeneous  crystallization.  Shandon  had  the  furnace-fires 
lighted,  and  until  the  11th  of  May  the  Forward  advanced  by  a 


74 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  EATTERAS. 


tortuous  course,  tracing  with  her  smoke  against  the  sky  the  path 
she  was  following  through  the  water. 

But  new  obstacles  soon  presented  themselves;  the  passages 
were  closing  in  consequence  of  the  incessant  crowding  of  the 
floating  masses ;  every  moment  threatened  to  close  up  the  clear 
water  before  the  Forivard,  and  if  she  were  nipped,  it  would  be  hard 
to  get  her  out.     Every  one  knew  it  and  was  thinking  about  it. 

Hence,  on  board  of  this  ship  without  any  definite  aim,  any 
known  destination,  which  was  blindly  pushing  on  northward, 
some  symptoms  oi  hesitation  began  to  appear ;  among  these  men 
accustomed  to  dangers,  many,  forgetting  the  advantages  which 
were  promised  thera,  regretted  having  ventured  so  far.  A  certain 
demoralization  became  common,  which  was  further  increased  by 
the  fears  of  Clifton  and  the  talk  of  two  or  three  ringleaders, 
such  as  Pen,  Gripper,  Warren,  and  Wolston. 


•^^i?? 


•  Exhausting  fatigue  was  added  to  the  moral  disquiet  of  the 
crew,  for,  on  the  12th  of  May,  the  brig  was  caught  fast;  the 
steam  was  of  no  avail.  A  path  had  to  be  cut  through  the  ice. 
It  was  no  easy  task  to  manage  the  saws  in  the  floes  which  were 
six  or  seven  feet  thick  ;  when  two  parallel  grooves  had  divided 
the  ice  for  a  hundred  feet,  it  was  necessary  to  break  the  part  that 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  75 

lay  between  with  axes  and  bars  ;  next  they  had  to  fasten  anchors 
in  a  hole  made  by  a  huge  auger ;  then  the  crew  would  turn  the 
capstan  and  haul  the  ship  along  by  the  force  of  their  arms ;  the 
greatest  difficulty  consisted  in  driving  the  detached  pieces  be- 
neath the  floes,  so  as  to  give  space  for  the  vessel,  and  they  had  to 
be  pushed  under  by  means  of  long  iron-headed  poles. 

Moreover,  this  continued  toil  with  saws,  capstan,  and  poles,  all 
of  which  was  persistent,  compulsory,  and  dangerous,  amid  the 
dense  fog  or  snow,  while  the  air  was  so  cold,  and  their  eyes  so 
exposed,  their  doubt  so  great,  did  much  to  weaken  the  crew  of 
the  Forward  and  to  act  on  their  imagination. 

When  sailors  have  to  deal  with  a  man  who  is  energetic,  bold, 
and  determined,  who  knows  what  he  wants,  whither  he  is  going, 
what  aim  he  has  in  view,  confidence  animates  them  all  in  spite 
-^f  themselves ;  they  are  firmly  united  to  their  leader,  strong  with 
his  force  and  calm  with  his  calmness.  But  on  board  of  the  brig 
they  were  aware  of  the  commander's  uncertainty,  they  knew  that 
he  hesitated  before  the  unknown  aim  and  destination.  In  spite 
of  the  energy  of  his  character,  his  uncertainty  was  clearly  to  be 
seen  by  his  uncertain  orders,  incomplete  manoeuvres,  his  sudden 
outbursts,  and  a  thousand  petty  details  which  could  not  escape 
the  sharp  eyes  of  the  crew. 

And  then,  Shandon  was  not  the  captain  of  the  ship,  the  master 
under  God,  which  was  enough  to  encourage  the  discussion  of  his 
orders ;  and  from  discussion  to  disobedience  is  but  a  short  step. 

The  malcontents  soon  brought  over  to  their  number  the  first 
■    engineer,  who,  hitherto,  had  been  a  slave  to  his  duty. 

The  16th  of  May,  six  days  after  thd  Forward  had  reached  the 
ice,  Shandon  had  not  made  two  miles  to  northward.  They  were 
--■  threatened  with  being  detained  in  the  ice  until  the  next  season. 
Matters  had  a  serious  look. 

Towards  eight  o'clock  of  the  evening,  Shandon  and  the  doctor, 

accompanied  by  Garry,  went  out  to  reconnoitre  the  vast  plains ; 

they  took  care  not  to  go  too  far  from  the  ship,  for  it  was  hard 

.to  find  any  fixed  points  in  this  white  solitude,  which  was  ever 

changing    in    appearance.      Refraction    kept    producing    strange 

effects,  much  to  the  doctor's  astonishment;  at  one  place,  where 
13 


76 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


he  thought  he  had  but  an  easy  jump  before  him,  he  had  to  leap 
some  five  or  six  feet ;  or  else  the  contrar}^  happened,  and  in  either 
case  the  result  was  a  tumble,  which  if  not  dangerous  was  at  any 
rate  painful,  for  the  ice  was  as  hard  and  slippery  as  glass. 

Shandon  and  his  two  companions  went  out  to  seek  a  possible 
passage;  three  miles  from  the  ship,  they  succeeded  with  some 
difficulty  in  ascending  an  iceberg  about  three  hundred  feet  high. 
From  that  point  nothing  met  their  eyes  but  a  confused  mass,  like 
the  ruins  of  a  vast  city,  with  shattered  monuments,  overthrown 
towers,  and  prostrate  palaces,  —  a  real  chaos.  The  sun  was  just 
peering  above  the  jagged  horizon,  and  sent  forth  long,  oblique 
rays  of  light,  but  not  of  heat,  as  if  something  impassable  for  heat 
lay  between  it  and  this  wild  country. 


The  sea  appeared  perfectly  covered  as  far  as  eye  could 
reach. 

"How  shall  we  get  through?"  asked  the  doctor. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Shandon ;  "  but  we  shall  get  through, 
if  we  have  to  blow  our  way  through  with  powder.  I  certainly 
sha'  n't  stay  in  the  ice  till  next  spring." 

"  But  that  happened  to  the  Fox,  and  not  far  from  here.  Bah  !  " 
said  the  doctor  ;  "we  shall  get  through  with  a  little  philosophy. 
You  will  see  that  is  worth  all  the  machinery  in  the  world." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  77 

"  I  must  say,"  answered  Shandon,  "  this  year  does  not  begin 
very  well." 

"  True,  Shandon,  and  I  notice  also  that  Baffin's  Bay  seems  to 
be  returning  to  the  state  it  was  in  before  1817." 

"  Don't  you  think,  Doctor,  it  has  always  been  as  it  is  now  1 " 

"  No,  my  dear  Shandon,  from  time  to  time  there  have  been 
great  breakings  of  the  ice  which  no  one  can  explain ;  so,  up  to 
1817  this  sea  was  continually  full,  when  an  enormous  sort  of 
inundation  took  place,  which  cast  the  icebergs  into  the  ocean, 
most  of  which  reached  the  banks  of  Newfoundland.  From  that 
day  Baffin's  Bay  was  nearly  free,  and  was  visited  by  whalers." 

"  So,"  asked  Shandon,  "  from  that  time  voyages  to  the  North 
became  easier  1 " 

"  Incomparably ;  but  for  some  years  it  has  been  noticed  that 
the  bay  seems  to  be  resuming  its  old  ways  and  threatens  to  be- 
come closed,  possibly  for  a  long  time,  to  sailors.  An  additional 
reason,  by  the  way,  for  pushing  on  as  far  as  possible.  And  yet  it 
must  be  said,  we  look  like  people  who  are  pushing  on  in  unknown 
ways,  with  the  doors  forever  closing  behind  us." 

"  Would  you  advise  me  to  go  back  1 "  asked  Shandon,  trying  to 
read  into  the  depths  of  the  doctor's  eyes. 

"  I !  I  have  never  retreated  yet,  and,  even  if  we  should  never 
get  back,  I  say  go  on.  Still,  I  want  to  make  it  clear  that  if  we 
act  imprudently,  we  do  it  with  our  eyes  open." 

"  And  you,  Garry,  what  do  you  think  about  it  1 "  asked  Shan- 
don of  the  sailor. 

"I,  Commander,  should  go  straight  on;  I  agree  w^ith  Dr. 
Clawbonny;  but  do  as  you  please;  command,  we  shall  obey." 

"  They  don't  all  talk  as  you  do,  Garry,"  resumed  Shandon ; 
"  they  are  not  all  ready  to  obey.  And  if  they  refuse  to  obey  my 
orders  1 " 

"  I  have  given  you  my  opinion,  Commander,"  answered  Garry, 
coldly,  "because  you  asked  for  it;  but  you  are  not  obliged  to 
follow  it." 

Shandon  did  not  answer ;  he  scanned  the  horizon  closely,  and 
then  descended  with  his  companions  to  the  ice-fields. 


78  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE   devil's    thumb. 

During  the  commander's  absence  the  men  had  been  variously 
busied  in  attempts  to  relieve  the  ship  from  the  pressure  of  the 
ice.  Pen,  Clifton,  Bolton,  Gripper,  and  Simpson  had  this  in 
charge ;  the  fireman  and  the  two  engineers  came  to  the  aid  of  their 
comrades,  for,  as  soon  as  the  engines  did  not  require  their  atten- 
tion, they  became  sailors,  and  as  such  could  be  employed  in  all 
that  was  going  on  aboard  the  ship. 

But  there  was  a  great  deal  of  discontent  among  them. 

"  I  declare  I  've  had  enough,"  said  Pen ;  "  and  if  we  are  not 
free  in  three  days,  I  swear  I  sha'  n't  stir  a  finger  to  get  the  ship 
out." 

"  Not  stir  a  finger  !  "  answered  Plover ;  "  you  'd  better  use  them 
in  getting  back.  Do  you  think  we  want  to  stay  here  till  next 
year  % " 

"  It  certainly  would  be  a  hard  winter,"  said  Pen,  "  for  we  are 
exposed  on  all  sides." 

"And  who  knows,"  said  Brunton,  "whether  next  spring  the 
sea  will  be  any  freer  than  it  is  now  % " 

"  Never  mind  about  next  spring,"  answered  Pen ;  "  to-day  is 
Thursday ;  if  the  way  is  not  clear  Sunday  morning,  we  shall  turn 
back  to  the  south." 

"  Good  !  "  cried  Clifton. 

"  Don't  you  agree  with  me  1 "  asked  Pen. 

"  We  do,"  cried  his  companions. 

"  That 's  so,"  said  Warren  ;  "  for  if  we  have  to  work  in  this 
way  and  haul  the  ship  along  with  our  own  arms,  I  think  it  would 
be  as  well  to  haul  her  backwards." 

"  We  shall  do  that  on  Sunday,"  said  Wolston. 

"  Only  give  me  the  order,"  resumed  Brunton,  "and  my  fires 
shaU  be  lighted." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.         ■  79 

"  Well,"  remarked  Clifton,  "  we  shall  light  them  ourselves." 

"  If  any  officer,"  said  Pen,  "  is  anxious  to  spend  the  winter 
here,  he  can ;  we  can  leave  him  here  contentedly  ;  he  '11  find  it 
easy  to  build  a  hut  like  the  Esquimaux." 

''Not  at  all,  Pen,"  retorted  Brunton,  quickly;  "we  ?W  n't 
abandon  any  one  here  ;  do  you  understand  that,  all  of  you  %  I 
think  it. won't  be  hard  to  persuade  the  commander;  he  seems  to 
me  to  be  very  much  discouraged,  and  if  we  propose  it  to  him 
gently  —  " 

"But,"  interrupted  Plover,  "  Ptichard  Shandon  is  often  very 
obstinate  ;  we  shall  have  to  sound  him  cautiously." 

"When  I  think,"  said  Bolton,  with  a  sigh  of  longing,  "that  in 
a  month  we  might  be  back  in  Liverpool !  We  can  easily  pa  s 
the  line  of  ice  at  the  south  !  Davis  Strait  will  be  open  by  the 
beginning  of  June,  and  then  we  shall  have  nothing  but  the  free 
Atlantic  before  us." 

"  Besides,"  said  the  cautious  Clifton,  "if  we  take  the  com- 
mander back  with  us,  and  act  under  his  commands,  we  shall  have 
earned  our  pay ;  but  if  we  go  back  without  him,  it 's  not  so 
sure." 

"  True,"  said  Plover  ;  "  Clifton  talks  sense.  Let 's  try  not  to 
get  into  any  trouble  with  the  Admiralty,  that 's  safer,  and  don't 
let  us  leave  any  one  behind." 

"  But  if  they  refuse  to  come  with  us  1 "  continued  Pen,  who 
wished  to  compel  his  companions  to  stand  by  him. 

They  found  it  hard  to  answer  the  question  thus  squarely  put 
them. 

"  We  shall  see  about  that  when  the  time  comes,"  replied  Bol- 
ton ;  "  it  will  be  enough  to  bring  Richard  Shandon  over  to  our 
side,  and  I  fancy  that  won't  be  hard." 

"  There  's  one  I  shall  leave  here,"  exclaimed  Pen  with  fierce 
oaths,  "  even  if  he  should  bite  my  arm  off." 

"  0,  the  dog  !  "'  said  Plover. 

"  Yes,  that  dog  !     I  shall  soon  settle  accounts  with  him." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  retorted  Clifton,  returning  to  his  favor- 
ite theory  ;   "  he  is  the  cause  of  all  our  troubles." 

"  He  has  thrown  an  evil  spell  upon  us,"  said  Plover. 


80  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"  He  led  us  into  the  ice,"  remarked  Gripper. 

"  He  brought  more  ice  in  our  way,"  said  Wolston,  "  than  was 
ever  seen  at  this  season." 

"  He  made  my  eyes  sore,"  said  Brunton. 

"  He  shut  off  the  gin  and  brandy,"  cried  Pen. 

"  He  's  the  cause  of  everything,"  they  all  exclaimed  excitedly. 

"  And  then,"  added  Clifton,  "  he  's  the  captain." 

"  Well,  you  unlucky  Captain,"  cried  Pen,  whose  unreasonable 
fury  grew  with  the  sound  of  his  own  words,  "  you  wanted  to  come 
here,  and  here  you  shall  stay  ! " 

"  But  how  shall  we  get  hold  of  him  1 "  said  Plover. 

"  Well,  now  is  a  good  time,"  answered  Clifton.  "  The  com- 
mander is  away  ;  the  second  mate  is  asleep  in  his  cabin  ;  the  fog 
is  so  thick  that  Johnson  can't  see  us  —  " 

"But  the  dog r'  said  Pen. 

"  He  's  asleep  in  the  coal,"  answered  Clifton,  "and  if  any  one 
wants  —  " 

"  I  '11  see  to  it,"  replied  Pen,  angrily. 

"  Take  care.  Pen  ;  his  teeth  would  go  through  a  bar  of  iron." 

"  If  he  stirs,  I  '11  rip  him  open,"  answered  Pen,  drawing  his 
knife. 

And  he  ran  down  between  decks,  followed  by  Warren,  who  was 
anxious  to  help  him. 

Soon  they  both  returned,  carrying  the  dog  in  their  arms ;  his 
mouth  and  paws  were  securely  tied ;  they  had  caught  him  asleep, 
and  the  poor  dog  could  not  escape  them. 

"  Hurrah  for  Pen  !  "  cried  Plover. 

"And  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  him  now?"  asked 
Clifton. 

"  Drown  him,  and  if  he  ever  comes  back  — "  answered  Pen 
with  a  smile  of  satisfaction. 

Two  hundred  feet  from  the  vessel  there  was  a  hole  in  the  ice, 
a  sort  of  circular  crevasse,  made  by  the  seals  with  their  teeth, 
and  always  dug  out  from  the  inside  to  the  outside  ;  it  was  there 
that  the  seals  used  to  come  to  breathe  on  the  surface  of  the  ice ; 
but  they  were  compelled  to  take  care  to  prevent  the  aperture 
from  closing,  for  the  shape  of  their  jaws  did  not  permit  them  to 


TBE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  81 

make  the  hole  from  the  outside,  and  in  any  danger  they  would 
not  be  able  to  escape  from  their  enemios. 


Pen  and  Warren  hastened  to  this  crevasse,  and  then,  in  spite 
of  his  obstinate  struggles,  the  dog  was  pitilessly  cast  into  the 
sea ;  a  huge  cake  of  ice  they  then  rolled  over  the  aperture,  clos- 
ing all  means  of  escape  for  the  poor  dog,  thus  locked  in  a  watery 
prison. 

"  A  pleasant  journey.  Captain  !  "  cried  the  brutal  sailor. 

Soon  they  returned  on  board ;  Johnson  had  seen  Lothing  of  it 
all ;  the  fog  was  growing  thick  about  the  ship,  and  the  snow  was 
beginning  to  fall  with  violence. 

An  hour  later,  Richard  Shandon,  the  doctor,  and  Garry  re- 
gained the  Forward. 

Shandon  had  observed  in  the  northeast  a  passage,  which  he 
determined  to  try.  He  gave  his  orders  to  that  effect ;  the  crew 
obeyed  with  a  certain  activity ;  they  wanted  to  convince  Shandon 
of  the  impossibility  of  a  farther  advance,  and  besides,  they  had 
before  them  three  days  of  obedience. 

During  a  part  of  the  following  night  and  day  the  saw- 
ing and  towing  went  on  busily  ;  the  Forward  made  about 
two  miles  of  progress.     On  the  18th  they  were  in  sight  of  land, 


82  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

five  or  six  cable-lengths  from  a  strange  peak,  to  which  its  singular 
shape  had  given  the  name  of  the  Devil's  Thumb. 


At  this  very  place  the  Prince  Albert,  in  1851,  the  Advance, 
with  Kane,  in  1853,  had  been  caught  in  the  ice  for  many  weeks. 

The  odd  shape  of  the  Devil's  Thumb,  the  barren  and  desolate 
surroundings,  which  consisted  of  huge  icebergs  often  more  than 
three  hundred  feet  high,  the  cracking  of  the  ice,  repeated  in- 
definitely by  the  echo,  made  the  position  of  the  Forward  a  veiy 
gloomy  one.  Shandon  saw  that  it  was  necessary  to  get  away 
from  there ;  within  twenty-four  hours,  he  calculated  he  would 
be  able  to  get  two  miles  from  the  spot.  But  that  was  not  enough. 
Shandon  felt  himself  embarrassed  by  fear,  and  the  false  position 
in  which  he  was  placed  benumbed  his  energy  ;  to  obey  his  in- 
structions in  order  to  advance,  he  had  brought  his  ship  into  a 
dangerous  position  ;  the  towing  wore  out  his  men  ;  more  than 
three  hours  were  necessary  to  cut  a  canal  twenty  feet  in  length 
through  ice  which  was  generally  four  or  five  feet  thick  ;  the  health 
of  the  crew  gave  signs  of  failing.  Shandon  was  astonished  at  the 
silence  of  the  men,  and  their  unaccustomed  obedience  ;  but  he 
feared  it  was  only  the  calm  that  foreboded  a  storm. 

We  can,  then,  easily  judge  of  the  painful  surprise,  disappoint- 


TBE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  83 

ment,  and  even  despair  which  seized  upon  him,  when  he  noticed 
that  by  means  of  an  imperceptible  movement  in  the  ice,  the  For- 
ward lost  in  the  night  of  the  18th  all  that  had  been  gained  by 
such  toilsome  efforts ;  on  Saturday  morning  he  was  opposite  the 
Devil's  Thumb,  in  a  still  more  critical  position ;  the  icebergs  in- 
creased in  number  and  passed  by  in  the  mist  like  phantoms. 

Shandon  was  thoroughly  demoralized ;  it  must  be  said  that  fear 
seized  both  this  bold  man  and  all  his  crew.  Shandon  had  heard 
of  the  disappearance  of  the  dog;  but  he  did  not  dare  to  punish 
the  guilty  persons ;  he  feared  exciting  a  mutiny. 

The  weather  during  that  day  was  horrible ;  the  snow,  caught 
up  in  dense  whirls,  covered  the  brig  with  an  impenetrable  veil ; 
at  times,  under  the  influence  of  the  hurricane,  the  fog  would  rise, 
and  their  terror-stricken  eyes  beheld  the  Devil's  Thumb  rising  on 
the  shore  like  a  spectre. 

The  Forward  was  anchored  to  a  large  piece  of  ice ;  there  was 
nothing  to  be  done,  nothing  to  be  tried ;  darkness  was  spreading 
about  them,  and  the  man  at  the  helm  could  not  see  James  Wall, 
who  was  on  watch  forward. 

Shandon  withdrew  to  his  cabin,  a  prey  to  perpetual  disquiet ; 
the  doctor  was  arranging  his  notes  of  the  expedition ;  some  of  the 
crew  were  on  the  deck,  others  in  the  common  room. 

At  a  moment  when  the  violence  of  the  storm  was  redoubling, 
the  Devil's  Thumb  seemed  to  rise  immoderately  from  the  mist. 

"  Great  God  ! "  exclaimed  Simpson,  recoiling  with  terror. 

"  What 's  the  matter  1 "  asked  Foker. 

Soon  shouts  were  heard  on  all  sides. 

"  It 's  going  to  crush  us  !  " 

"  We  are  lost ! " 

"Mr.  Wall,  Mr.  Wall!'* 

**  It 's  all  over  ! " 

"  Commander,  Commander  !  " 

All  these  cries  were  uttered  by  the  men  on  watch. 

Wall  hastened  to  the  after-deck;  Shandon,  followed  by  the 
doctor,  flew  to  the  deck  and  looked  out. 

Through  a  rift  in  the  mist,  the  Devil's  Thumb  appeared  to 
have  suddenly  come  near  the  brig ;  it  seemed  to  have  grown  euor- 

14 


84  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERA8. 

mously  in  size ;   on  its  summit  was  balanced  a  second  cone,  up- 
side down,  and  revolving  on  its  point ;  it  threatened  to  crush  the 

ship  with  its  enormous 
mass ;  it  wavered, 
ready  to  fall  down.  It 
was  an  alarming  sight. 
Every  one  drew  back  in- 
stinctively, and  many 
of  the  men,  jumping 
upon  the  ice,  aban- 
doned the  ship. 

"  Let  no  one  move ! " 
cried  the  commander 
with  a  loud  voice ; 
"every  one  to  his 
place!" 

"My  friends,  don't 
be  frightened,"  said 
the  doctor,  "there  is 
no  danger  !  See,  Com- 
mander, see,  Mr.  Wall, 
that 's  the  mirage  and 
nothing  else." 

"  You  are  right.  Dr. 
Clawbonny,"  replied  Johnson ;  "they  've  all  been  frightened  by  a 
shadow." 

When  they  had  heard  what  the  doctor  said,  most  of  the  sailors 
drew  near  him,  and  from  terror  they  turned  to  admiration  of  this 
wonderful  phenomenon,  which  soon  passed  from  their  view. 

"  They  call  that  a  mii:age,"  said  Clifton ;  "  the  Devil 's  at  the 
bottom  of  it,  I  'm  sure." 

"  That 's  true,"  growled  Gripper. 

But  the  break  in  the  fog  had  given  the  commander  a  glimpse 
of  a  broad  passage  which  he  had  not  expected  to  find ;  it  prom- 
ised to  lead  him  away  from  the  shore ;  he  resolved  to  make  use 
of  it  at  once  ;  men  were  sent  out  on  each  side  of  the  canal ;  haw- 
sers were  given  them,  and  they  began  to  tow  the  ship  northward. 


A  strange  animal  was  bounding  along  within  a  cable's  length  from  the  ship." 
—  Page  8s. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  85 

During  long  hours  this  work  was  prosecuted  busily  but  silent- 
ly; Shandon  had  the  furnace-fires  lighted  to  help  him  through 
this  passage  so  providentially  discovered. 

"  That 's  great  luck,"  he  said  to  Johnson,  "  and  if  we  can  only 
get  on  a  few  miles,  we  may  be  free.  Make  a  hot  fire,  Mr.  Brun- 
ton,  and  let  me  know  as  soon  as  you  get  steam  on.  Mean- 
while, men,  the  farther  on  we  get,  the  more  gained !  You  want 
to  get  away  from  the  Devil's  Thumb  ;  well,  now  is  your  chance  ! " 

Suddenly  the  brig  stopped.  "  What 's  the  matter  % "  shouted 
Shandon.     "  Wall,  have  the  tow-ropes  broken  % " 

"  No,"  answered  Wall,  leaning  over  the  ratling.  "  See,  there 
are  the  men  running  back ;  they  are  climbing  on  board ;  they 
seem  very  much  frightened." 

"  What 's  happened  ^ "  cried  Shandon,  running  forward. 

"On  board,  on  board  !"  cried  the  sailors,  evidently  exceedingly 
teiTified. 

Shandon  looked  towards  the  north,  and  shuddered  in  spite  of 
himseJf. 

A  strange  animal,  with  alarming  motions,  whose  steaming 
tongue  hung  from  huge  jaws,  was  bounding  along  within  a  cable's 
length  from  the  ship ;  it  seemed  more  than  twenty  feet  high ;  its 
hair  stood  on  end ;  it  was  chasing  the  sailors  as  if  about  to  seize 
them,  while  its  tail,  which  was  at  least  ten  feet  long,  lashed  the 
snow  and  tossed  it  about  in  dense  gusts.  The  sight  of  the  mon- 
ster froze  the  blood  in  the  veins  of  the  boldest. 

/'  It 's  an  enormous  bear,"  said  one. 

"  It 's  the  beast  of  G6vaudan  !  " 

"  It 's  the  lion  of  the  Apocalypse  !  " 

Shandon  ran  to  his  cabin  to  get  a  gun  which  he  kept  always 
loaded ;  the  doctor  seized  his  arms,  and  made  ready  to  fire  at  the 
beast,  which  by  its  size,  recalled  antediluvian  monsters. 

It  drew  near  with  long  leaps ;  Shandon  and  the  doctor  fired  at 
the  same  time,  and  suddenly  the  report  of  the  pieces  agitated 
the  air  and  produced  an  unlooked-for  eifect. 

The  doctor  gazed  attentively,  and  could  not  help  bursting  out 
laughing.     "  It 's  refraction  ! "  said  he. 

"  Refraction  !  "  cried  Shandon. 


86  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS, 

But  a  terrible  cry  from  the  crew  interrupted  them. 

"  The  dog !  "  shouted  CHfton. 

"  The  dog-captain  ! "  repeated  his  companions. 

"  It 's  he  !  "  cried  Pen. 

In  fact,  it  was  the  dog  who  had  burst  his  bonds  and  had  made 
his  way  to  the  surface  of  the  ice  through  another  hole.  At  that 
moment  the  refraction,  by  a  phenomenon  common  in  these  lati- 
tudes, exaggerated  his  size,  and  this  had  only  been  broken  by  the 
I'eport  of  the  guns  ;  but,  notwithstanding,  a  disastrous  impression 
had  been  produced  upon  the  minds  of  the  sailors,  who  were  not 
very  much  inclined  to  admit  any  explanation  of  the  fact  from 
physical  causes.  The  adventure  of  the  Devil's  Thumb,  the  reap- 
pearance of  the  dog  under  such  peculiar  circumstances,  completely 
upset  them,  and  murmurs  arose  on  all  sides. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

CAPTAIN    HATTERAS. 

The  Forward  was  advancing  rapidly  under  steam  between  the 
ice-fields  and  the  mountains  of  ice.  Johnson  was  at  the  helm. 
Shandon  was  examining  the  horizon  with  his  snow-spectalces ; 
but  his  joy  was  brief,  for  he  soon  saw  that  the  passage  was 
blocked  up  by  a  circle  of  mountains. 

Nevertheless,  he  preferred  to  take  his  chances  with  pushing  on, 
to  returning. 

The  dog  followed  the  brig  on  the  ice,  but  he  kept  at  a  respect- 
ful distance.  Only,  if  he  lagged  too  far,  there  was  to  be  heard  a 
singular  whistle  which  at  once  brought  him  on. 

The  first  time  that  this  whistle  was  heard,  the  sailors  looked 
around  ;  they  were  alone  on  the  deck,  talking  together ;  there  was 
no  unknown  person  there  ;  and  yet  this  whistle  was  often  repeated. 

Clifton  was  the  first  to  take  alarm. 

"  Do  you  hear  that  ^ "  he  said  ;  "  and  do  you  see  how  the  dog 
starts  as  soon  as  he  hears  it  % " 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


87 


"  It 's  past  belief,"  said  Gripper. 

"  Very  well !  "  cried  Pen  ;  "  I  'm  not  going  any  farther." 
"  Pen  is  right,"  said  Brunton  ;  "  it 's  tempting  Providence." 
"Tempting  the  Devil,"  answered  CHfton.      "I  should  rather 
give  up  all  my  share  of  the  pay  than  go  on." 
"  We  shall  never  get  back,"  said  Bolton,  dejectedly. 
The  crew  was  exceedingly  demoralized. 

"  Not  a  foot  farther  !  "  cried  Wolston ;  "  is  that  your  opinion  % " 
"  Yes,  yes  !  "  answered  the  sailors. 


"  Well,"  said  Bolton,  "  let 's  go  find  the  commander ;  I  '11  un- 
dertake to  tell  him." 

The  sailors  in  a  dense  group  made  their  way  to  the  quarter- 
deck. 

The  Forward  was  then  advancing  into  a  large  arena,  which  had 
a  diameter  of  about  eight  hundred  feet ;  it  was  completely  closed, 
with  the  exception  of  one  place  through  which  the  ship  entered. 

Shandon  saw  that  he  was  locking  himself  in.  But  what  was 
to  be  done  %  How  could  he  retreat  1  He  felt  all  the  responsibility, 
and  his  hand  nervously  grasped  his  glass. 

The  doctor  looked  on  in  silence,  with  folded  arms  ;  he  gazed  at 
the  walls  of  ice,  the  average  height  of  which  was  about  three 
hundred  feet.     A  cloud  of  fog  lay  like  a  dome  above  the  gulf. 


88  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

Then  it  was  that  Bolton  spoke  to  the  commander. 

*'  Commander,"  said  he  in  a  broken  voice,  "  we  can't  go  any 
farther." 

"  What 's  that  you  are  saying "? "  said  Shandon,  who  felt  en- 
raged at  the  slight  given  to  his  authority. 

"  We  have  come  to  say,  Commander,"  resumed  Bolton,  "  that 
we  have  done  enough  for  this  invisible  captain,  and  that  we  have 
made  up  our  minds  not  to  go  on  any  farther." 

"  Made  up  your  minds  %  "  cried  Shandon.  "  Is  that  the  way 
you  talk  to  me,  Bolton  1     Take  care." 

"  You  need  not  threaten,"  retorted  Pen,  brutally,  "  we  are  not 
going  any  farther." 

Shandon  stepped  towards  the  mutinous  sailors,  when  the  boat- 
swain said  to  him  in  a  low  voice,  — 

"  Commander,  if  we  want  to  get  out  of  this  place,  we  have  not 
a  moment  to  lose.  There  's  an  iceberg  crowding  towards  the 
entrance  ;  it  may  prevent  our  getting  out  and  imprison  us  here." 

Shandon  returned  to  look  at  the  state  of  affairs. 

"  You  will  account  for  this  afterwards,"  he  said  to  the  mutineers. 
"  Now,  go  about !  " 

The  sailors  hastened  to  their  places.  The  Forward  went  about 
rapidly ;  coal  was  heaped  on  the  fires ;  it  was  necessary  to  beat 
the  iceberg.  There  was  a  race  between  them ;  the  brig  stood 
towards  the  south,  the  berg  was  drifting  northward,  threatening 
to  bar  the  way. 

"  Put  on  all  the  steam,  Brunton,  do  you  hear  1 "  said  Shandon. 

The  Forward  glided  like  a  bird  through  the  broken  ice,  which 
her  prow  cut  through  easily  ;  the  ship  shook  with  the  motion  of 
the  screw,  and  the  gauge  indicated  a  full  pressure  of  steam,  the 
deafening  roar  of  which  resounded  above  everything. 

"  Load  the  safety-valve  ! "  cried  Shandon. 

The  engineer  obeyed  at  the  risk  of  bursting  the  boilers. 

But  these  desperate  efforts  were  vain ;  the  iceberg,  driven  by  a 
su'bmarine  current,  moved  rapidly  towards  the  exit ;  the  brig  was 
still  three  cable-lengths  distant,  when  the  moimtain,  entering  the 
vacant  space  like  a  wedge,  joined  itself  to  its  companions,  and 
closed  the  means  of  escape. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


89 


"  We  are  lost !  "  cried  Shandon,  who  was  unable  to  restrain 
that  unwise  speech. 

"  Lost  !  "  repeated  the  crew. 

"  Lower  the  boats  !  "  cried  many. 

"  To  the  steward's  pantry  ! "  cried  Pen  and  some  of  his  set ; 
"  if  we  must  drown,  let  us  drown  in  gin  !  " 

The  wildest  confusion  raged  among  these  half-wild  men.  Shan- 
don felt  unable  to  assert  his  authority ;  he  wanted  to  give  some 
orders ;  he  hesitated,  he  stammered ;  his  thoughts  could  find  no 
words.  The  doctor  walked  up  and  down  nervously.  Johnson 
folded  his  arms  stoically,  and  said  not  a  word. 

Suddenly  a  strong,  energetic,  commanding  voice  was  heard 
above  the  din,  uttering  these  words  :  — 

"  Every  man  to  his  place  !     Prepare  to  go  about !  " 


Johnson  shuddered,  and,  without  knowing  what  he  did,  turned 
the  wheel  rapidly. 

It  was  time  ;  the  brig,  going  under  full  steam,  was  about  crash- 
ing against  the  walls  of  its  prison. 

But  while  Johnson  instinctively  obeyed,  Shandon,  Clawbonny, 
the  crew,  all,  even  down  to  Warren  the  fireman,  who  had  aban- 
doned his  fires,  and   Strong  the  cook,  who  had  fled  from  his 

16 


90  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 

galley,  were  collected  on  the  deck,  and  all  saw  issuing  from  the 
cabin,  the  key  of  which  he  alone  possessed,  a  man. 

This  man  was  the  sailor  Garry. 

"  Sir  !  "  cried  Shandon,  turning  pale,  "  Garry  —  by  what  right 
do  you  give  orders  here  % " 

"  Duke  !  "  said  Garry,  repeating  the  whistle  which  had  so  sur- 
prised the  crew. 

The  dog,  on  hearing  his  real  name,  sprang  on  the  quarter-deck, 
and  lay  down  quietly  at  his  master's  feet. 

The  crew  did  not  utter  a  word.  The  key  which  the  captain 
alone  should  possess,  the  dog  which  he  had  sent  and  which  had 
identified  him,  so  to  speak,  the  tone  of  command  which  it  was 
impossible  to  mistake,  — all  this  had  a  strong  influence  on  the 
minds  of  the  sailors,  and  was  enough  to  establish  firmly  Garry's 
authority. 

Besides,  Garry  was  hardly  to  be  recognized ;  he  had  removed 
the  thick  whiskers  which  had  surrounded  his  face,  thereby  giving 
it  a  more  impassible,  energetic,  and  commanding  expression ;  he 
stood  before  them  clothed  in  a  captain's  uniform,  which  he  had 
had  placed  in  his  cabin. 

So  the  crew  of  the  Forward,  animated  in  spite  of  themselves, 
shouted,  — 

"  Hurrah,  hurrah,  hurrah  for  the  captain  !  " 

"  Shandon,"  he  said  to  his  first  officer,  **  have  the  crew  put  in 
line  ;  I  want  to  inspect  them." 

Shandon  obeyed,  and  gave  the  requisite  orders  with  an  agitated 
voice. 

The  captain  walked  in  front  of  the  officers  and  men,  saying  a 
word  to  each,  and  treating  him  according  to  his  past  conduct. 

When  he  had  finished  his  inspection,  he  went  back  to  the  quar- 
ter-deck, and  calmly  uttered  these  words  :  — 

**  Officers  and  sailors,  I  am  an  Englishman  like  j^ou  all,  and  my 
motto  is  that  of  Lord  Nelson,  —  '  England  expects  every  man  to 
do  his  duty.' 

"  As  Englishmen,  I  am  unwilling,  we  are  unwilling,  that  others 
should  go  where  we  have  not  been.  As  Englishmen,  I  shall  not 
endure,  we  shall  not  endure,  that  others  should  have  the  glory  of 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  91 

going  farther  north  than  we.  If  human  .foot  is  ever  to  reach  the 
Pole,  it  must  be  the  foot  of  an  Enghshman  !  Here  is  the  flag  of 
our  country.  I  have  equipped  this  ship,  I  have  devoted  my  for- 
tune to  this  undertaking,  I  shall  devote  to  it  my  life  and  yours, 
but  this  flag  shall  float  over  the  North  Pole.  Fear  not.  You 
shall  receive  a  thousand  pounds  sterling  for  every  degree  that  we 
get  farther  north  after  this  day.  Now  we  are  at  the  seventy- 
second,  and  there  are  ninety  in  all.  Figure  it  out.  My  name 
will  be  proof  enough.  It  means  energy  and  patriotism.  I  am 
Captain  Hatteras." 

"  Captain  Hatteras  !  "  cried  Shandon.  And  this  name,  familiar 
to  them  all,  soon  spread  among  all  the  crew. 

"Now,"  resumed  Hatteras,  "let  us  anchor  the  brig  to  the  ice; 
let  the  fires  be  put  out,  and  every  one  return  to  his  usual  occupa- 
tion. Shandon,  I  want  to  speak  with  you  about  the  ship.  You 
will  join  me  in  my  cabin  with  the  doctor.  Wall,  and  the  boat- 
swain.    Johnson,  dismiss  the  men." 

Hatteras,  calm  and  cold,  quietly  left  the  poop-deck,  while  Shan- 
don had  the  brig  made  fast  to  the  ice. 

Who  was  this  Hatteras,  and  why  did  his  name  make  so  deep 
an  impression  upon  the  crew  % 

John  Hatteras,  the  only  son  of  a  London  brewer,  who  died  in 
1852,  worth  six  million  pounds,  took  to  the  sea  at  an  early  age, 
unmindful  of  the  large  fortune  which  was  to  come  to  him.  Not 
that  he  had  any  commercial  designs,  but  a  longing  for  geographi- 
cal discovery  possessed  him ;  he  was  continually  dreaming  of  set- 
ting foot  on  some  spot  untrodden  of  man. 

When  twenty  years  old,  he  had  the  vigorous  constitution  of 
thin,  sanguine  men ;  an  energetic  face,  with  well-marked  lines,  a 
high  forehead,  rising  straight  from  the  eyes,  which  were  hand- 
some but  cold,  thin  lips,  indicating  a  mouth  chary  of  words,  me- 
dium height,  well-knit  muscular  limbs,  indicated  a  man  ready  for 
any  experience.  Any  one  who  saw  him  would  have  called  him 
bold,  and  any  one  who  heard  him  would  have  called  him  coldly 
passionate ;  he  was  a  man  who  would  never  retreat,  and  who 
would  risk  the  lives  of  others  as  coldly  as  his  own.  One  would 
hence  think  twice  before  following  him  in  his  expeditious. 


92  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

John  Hatteras  had  a  great  deal  of  Enghsh  pride,  and  it  was  he 
who  once  made  this  haughty  reply  to  a  Frenchman. 

The  Frenchman  said  with  what  he  considered  politeness,  and 
even  kindness, — 

"  If  I  were  not  a  Frenchman,  I  should  like  to  be  an  English- 
man." 

"  If  I  were  not  an  Englishman,  I  should  like  to  be  an  English- 
man ! " 

That  retort  points  the  nature  of  the  man. 

He  would  have  liked  to  reserve  for  his  fellow-countrymen  the 
monopoly  of  geographical  discovery ;  but  much  to  his  chagrin, 
during  previous  centuries,  they  had  done  but  little  in  the  way  of 
discovery. 

America  was  discovered  by  the  Genoese,  Christopher  Columbus ; 
the  East  Indies  by  the  Portuguese,  Vasco  de  Gama ;  China  by  the 
Portuguese,  Fernao  d'Andrada ;  Terra  del  Fuego  by  the  Portu- 
guese, Magellan ;  Canada  by  the  Frenchman,  Jacques  Cartier ;  the 
islands  of  Sumatra,  Java,  etc.,  Labrador,  Brazil,  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  the  Azores,  Madeira,  Newfoundland,  Guinea,  Congo,  Mexico, 
White  Cape,  Greenland,  Iceland,  the  South  Pacific  Ocean,  Cali- 
fornia, Japan,  Cambodia,  Peru,  Kamschatka,  the  Philippine 
Islands,  Spitzbergen,  Cape  Horn,  Behring  Strait,  New  Zealand, 
Van  Diemen's  Land,  New  Britain,  New  Holland,  the  Louisiana, 
Island  of  Jan-Mayen,  by  Icelanders,  Scandinavians,  Frenchmen, 
Russians,  Portuguese,  Danes,  Spaniards,  Genoese,  and  Dutch- 
men ;  but  no  Englishmen  figured  among  them,  and  it  was  a  con- 
stant source  of  grief  to  Hatteras  to  see  his  fellow-countrymen 
excluded  from  the  glorious  band  of  sailors  who  made  the  great 
discoveries  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 

Hatteras  consoled  himself  somewhat  when  he  considered  mod- 
ern times  :  the  English  took  their  revenge  with  Stuart,  McDougall 
Stuart,  Burke,  Wells,  King,  Gray,  in  Australia ;  with  Palliser  in 
America ;  with  Havnoan  in  Syria ;  with  Cyril  Graham,  Wadding- 
ton,  Cunningham,  in  India ;  and  with  Barth,  Burton,  Speke, 
Grant,  and  Livingstone  in  Africa. 

But  this  was  not  enough ;  for  Hatteras  these  men  were  rather 
finishers  than  discoverers ;   something  better  was  to  be  done,  so 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  93 

he  invented  a  country  in  order  to  have  the  honor  of  discover- 
ing it. 

Now  he  had  noticed  that  if  the  English  were  in  a  minority  with 
regard  to  the  early  discoveries,  that  if  it  was  necessary  to  go  back 
to  Cook  to  make  sure  of  New  Caledonia  in  1774,  and  of  the  Sand> 
wich  Islands  where  he  was  killed  in  1778,  there  was  nevertheless 
one  corner  of  the  globe  on  which  they  had  centred  all  their  efiforts. 

This  was  the  northern  seas  and  lands  of  North  America. 

In  fact,  the  list  of  polar  discoveries  runs  as  follows  :  — 

Nova  Zambia,  discovered  by  Willougbby  in  1553. 
Island  of  Wiegehts,  discovered  by  Barrow  in  1556. 
West  Coast  of  Greenland,  discovered  by  Davis  in  1585. 
Davis  Strait,  discovered  by  Davis  in  1587. 
Spitzbergen,  discovered  by  Willoughby  in  1596. 
Hudson's  Bay,  discovered  by  Hudson  in  1610. 
Baffin's  Bay,  discovered  by  Baffin  in  1616. 

During  recent  years  Hearne,  Mackenzie,  John  Ross,  PaiTy, 
FrankHn,  Richardson,  Beechey,  James  Ross,  Back,  Dease,  Simpson, 
Rae,  Inglefield,  Belcher,  Austin,  Kellet,  Moore,  MacClure,  Kennedy, 
MacClintock,  were  incessantly  exploring  these  unknown  regions. 

The  northern  coast  of  America  had  been  accurately  made  out, 
the  Northwest  Passage  nearly  discovered,  but  that  was  not 
enough ;  there  was  something  greater  to  be  done,  and  this  John 
Hatteras  had  twice  tried,  fitting  out  ships  at  his  own  expense ; 
he  wanted  to  reach  the  Pole  itself,  and  thus  to  crown  the  list  of 
English  discoveries  by  a  glorious  success. 

To  reach  the  Pole  itself  was  the  aim  of  his  life. 

After  many  successful  voyages  in  the  southern  seas,  Hatteras 
tried  for  the  first  time  in  1846  to  reach  the  North  through  Baf- 
fin's Bay,  but  he  could  get  no  farther  than  latitude  74°  ;  he 
sailed  in  the  sloop  Halifax ;  his  crew  suffered  terribly,  and  John 
Hatteras  carried  his  temerity  so  far  that  henceforth  sailors  were 
averse  to  undertaking  a  similar  expedition  under  such  a  leader. 

Notwithstanding,  in  1850,  Hatteras  succeeded  in  obtaining  for 
the  schooner  Farewell  about  twenty  determined  men,  but  who 
were  persuaded  especially  by  the  high  pay  offered  their  boldness. 
It  was  then  that  Dr.  Clawbonny  began  to  correspond  with  John 


94  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

Hatteras,  whom  he  did  not  know,  about  accompanymg  him ;  but 
the  post  of  surgeon  was  filled,  fortunately  for  the  doctor. 

The  Fareivell,  following  the  route  taken  by  the  Neptune  of 
Aberdeen  in  1817,  went  to  the  north  of  Spitzbergen,  as  far  as 
latitude  76°.  There  they  were  obliged  to  winter ;  but  their  suf- 
ferings were  such,  and  the  cold  so  intense,  that  of  all  on  board, 
Hatteras  alone  returned  to  England.  He  was  picked  up  by  a 
Danish  whaler  after  he  had  walked  more  than  two  hundred  miles 
across  the  ice. 

The  excitement  produced  by  the  return  of  this  man  alone  was 
intense ;  who,  after  this,  would  accompany  Hatteras  in  his  bold 
attempts ']  Still  he  did  not  abandon  the  hope  of  trying  again. 
His  father,  the  brewer,  died,  and  he  came  into  possession  of  an 
enormous  fortune. 

Meanwhile  something  had  happened  which  cut  John  Hatteras 
to  the  heart. 

A  brig,  the  Advance,  carrying  seventeen  men,  equipped  by  Mr. 
Grinnell,  a  merchant,  commanded  by  Dr.  Kane,  and  sent  out  in 
search  of  Franklin,  went  as  far  north,  through  Baffin's  Bay  and 
Smith's  Sound,  as  latitude  82°,  nearer  to  the  Pole  than  any  of  his 
predecessors  had  gone. 

Now^  this  was  an  American  ship.  Grinnell  was  an  American, 
Kane  was  an  American  ! 

It  is  easy  to  understand  how  the  customar}'  disdain  of  the  Eng- 
lishman for  the  Yankee  turned  to  hatred  in  the  heart  of  Hat- 
teras ;  he  made  up  his  mind,  at  any  price,  to  beat  his  bold  rival, 
and  to  reach  the  Pole  itself. 

For  two  years  he  lived  at  Liverpool  incognito.  He  was  taken 
for  a  sailor.  He  saw  in  Richard  Shandon  the  man  he  wanted ; 
he  presented  his  plans  by  an  anonymous  letter  to  him  and  to  Dr. 
Clawbonny.  The  Forward  was  built  and  equipped.  Hatteras 
kept  his  name  a  secret ;  otherwise  no  one  would  have  gone  with 
him.  He  resolved  only  to  take  command  of  the  brig  at  some 
critical  juncture,  and  when  his  crew  had  gone  too  far  to  be  able  to 
retreat ;  he  kept  in  reserve,  as  we  have  seen,  the  power  of  making 
generous  offers  to  the  men,  so  that  they  would  follow  him  to  the 
end  of  the  world. 


"  John  Hatteras."  —  Page  95. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE,  95 

In  fact,  it  was  to  the  end  of  the  world  that  he  wanted  to  go. 

Now  matters  looked  very  serious,  and  John  Hatteras  made 
himself  known. 

His  dog,  the  faithful  Duke,  the  companion  of  his  expeditions, 
was  the  first  to  recognize  him,  and  fortunately  for  the  bold,  and 
unfortunately  for  the  timid,  it  was  firmly  established  that  the 
captain  of  the  Forward  was  John  Hatteras. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE   captain's   PLANS. 

The  appearance  of  this  famous  person  was  variously  received 
by  the  different  members  of  the  crew :  some  allied  themselves 
strongly  with  him,  moved  both  by  boldness  and  by  avarice ;  oth- 
ers took  renewed  interest  in  the  expedition,  but  they  reserved  to 
themselves  the  right  of  protesting  later ;  besides,  at  that  time,  it 
was  hard  to  make  any  resistance  to  such  a  man.  Hence  every 
man  went  back  to  his  place.  The  20th  of  May  was  Sunday,  and 
consequently  a  day  of  rest  for  the  crew. 

The  officers  took  counsel  together  in  the  doctor's  cabin ;  there 
were  present  Hatteras,  Shandon,  Wall,  Johnson,  and  the  doctor. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  captain,  with  his  peculiarly  gentle  but 
impressive  voice,  "  you  know  my  project  of  going  to  the  Pole ; 
I  want  to  get  your  opinion  of  the  undertaking.  What  do  you 
think  about  it,  Shandon  % " 

"  I  have  not  to  think.  Captain,"  answered  Shandon,  coldly ;  "I 
have  only  to  obey." 

Hatteras  was  not  surprised  at  this  answer. 

"Richard  Shandon,"  he  resumed  with  equal  coldness,  "I  ask 
your  opinion  about  our  probable  chance  of  success." 

"Well,  Captain,"  answered  Shandon,  "facts  must  answer  for 
me ;  all  attempts  hitherto  have  failed  ;  I  hope  we  may  be  more 
fortunate." 

"  We  shall  be.     And,  gentlemen,  what  do  you  think  ] " 
16 


96 


THE  ADVENTURES  OE  CAPTAIN  BAT  TEH  AS. 


''As  for  me,"  replied  the  doctor,  "I  consider  your  design  prac- 
ticable. Captain ;  and  since  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  at  some 
time  or  other  explorers  will  reach  the  Pole,  I  don't  see  why  we 
should  not  do  it." 

"  There  are  very  good  reasons  why  we  should,"  answered  Hat- 
teras,  "for  we  have  taken  measures  to  make  it  possible,  and  we 
shall  profit  by  the  experience  of  others.  And,  Shandon,  you 
must  accept  my  thanks  for  the  care  you  have  given  to  the  equip- 
ment of  the  brig ;  there  are  some  ill-disposed  men  in  the  crew, 
whom  I  shall  soon  bring  to  reason ;  but  on  the  whole,  I  can  give 
nothing  but  praise." 


Shandon  bowed  coldly.  His  position  on  the  Forward,  of  which 
he  had  thought  himself  commander,  was  a  false  one.  Hatteras 
imderstood  this,  and  said  nothing  more  about  it. 

"As  for  you,  gentlemen,"  he  resumed,  addressing  Wall  and 
Johnson,  "  I  could  not  myself  have  chosen  officers  more  skilled 
and  intrepid." 

"  On  my  word.  Captain,  I  am  your  man,"  answered  Johnson ; 
"  and  although  I  think  your  plan  a  very  bold  one,  you  can  count 
on  me  to  the  end." 

"  And  on  me  too,"  said  Wall. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  97 

"  As  for  you,  Doctor,  I  know  your  worth  —  " 

**  Well,  you  know  then  a  great  deal  more  than  I  do,"  answered 
the  doctor,  quickly. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  said  Hatteras,  "it  is  well  that  you  should 
know  on  what  good  grounds  I  have  made  up  my  mind  about  the 
accessibility  of  the  Pole.  In  1817  the  Neptune,  of  Aberdeen, 
went  to  the  north  of  Spitzbergen,  as  far  as  latitude  82°.  In  1826 
the  celebrated  Parry,  after  his  third  voyage  in  polar  seas,  started 
also  from  the  extremity  of  Spitzbergen,  and  on  sledges  went  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  farther  north.  In  1852,  Captain  Ingje- 
field  reached,  through  Smith's  Sound,  latitude  78°  35'.  All  these 
were  English  ships,  and  were  commanded  by  Englishmen,  our 
fellow-countrymen." 

Here  Hatteras  paused. 

"  I  ought  to  add,"  he  resumed  with  some  formality,  and  as  if  he 
could  hardly  bring  himself  to  utter  the  words,  —  "I  ought  to  add 
that  in  1854  the  American,  Captain  Kane,  in  the  brig  Advance, 
went  still  farther  north,  and  that  his  lieutenant,  Morton,  journey- 
ing over  the  ice,  hoisted  the  United  States  flag  beyond  the  eighty- 
second  degree.  Having  once  said  this,  I  shall  not  return  to  it. 
Now  the  main  point  is  that  the  captains  of  the  Neptune,  the 
Enterprise,  the  Isabella,  and  the  Advance  agree  in  the  statement 
that  beyond  these  high  latitudes  there  is  an  open  polar  sea,  en- 
tirely free  from  ice." 

"  Free  from  ice  ! "  cried  Shandon,  interrupting  the  captain, 
"  it 's  impossible  !  " 

*f  You  will  notice,  Shandon,"  observed  Hatteras,  quietly,  while 
his  eye  lighted  up  for  an  instant,  "that  I  quote  both  facts  and 
authorities.  I  must  add  that  in  1851,  when  Penny  was  stationed 
by  the  side  of  WelUngton  Channel,  his  lieutenant,  Stewart,  found 
himself  in  the  presence  of  an  open  sea,  and  that  his  report  was 
confirmed  when,  in  1853,  Sir  Edward  Belcher  wintered  in  North- 
umberland Bay,  in  latitude  76°  52',  and  longitude  99°  20';  these 
reports  are  indisputable,  and  one  must  be  very  incredulous  not  to 
admit  them." 

"Still,  Captain,"  persisted  Shandon,  "facts  are  as  contra- 
dictory —  " 


98  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"  You  're  wrong,  Shandon,  you  're  wrong ! "  cried  Dr.  Claw- 
bonny  ;  **  fkcts  never  contradict  a  scientific  statement ;  the  captain 
will,  I  trust,  excuse  me." 

"  Go  on.  Doctor  !  "  said  Hatteras. 

"  Well,  listen  to  this,  Shandon  ;  it  results  very  clearly  from 
geographical  facts,  and  from  the  study  of  isothermal  lines,  that 
the  coldest  spot  on  the  globe  is  not  on  the  Pole  itself;  like  the 
magnetic  pole,  it  lies  a  few  degrees  distant.  So  the  calculations  of 
Brewster,  Berghaus,  and  other  physicists  prove  that  in  our  hemi- 
sphere there  are  two  poles  of  extreme  cold  :  one  in  Asia  in  lati- 
tude 79°  30'  N.,  and  longitude  120°  E. ;  the  other  is  in  America, 
in  latitude  78°  N.,  and  longitude  97°  W.  This  last  alone  con- 
cerns us,  and  you  see,  Shandon,  that  it  is  more  than  twelve  de- 
grees below  the  Pole.  Well,  I  ask  you  why,  then,  the  sea  should 
not  be  as  free  from  ice  as  it  often  is  in  summer  in  latitude  QQ°j 
that  is  to  say,  at  the  southern  end  of  Baffin's  Bay  1 " 

"  Well  put,"  answered  Johnson ;  "  Dr.  Clawbonny  talks  of  those 
things  like  a  man  who  understands  them." 

"  It  seems  possible,"  said  James  Wall. 

"  Mere  conjectures  !  nothing  but  hypotheses  ! "  answered  Shan- 
don, obstinately. 

"Well,  Shandon,"  said  Hatteras,  "let  us  consider  the  two  cases; 
either  the  sea  is  free  from  ice,  or  it  is  not,  and  in  neither  case  will 
it  be  impossible  to  reach  the  Pole.  If  it  is  free,  the  Forward 
will  take  us  there  without  difficulty ;  if  it  is  frozen,  we  must  try 
to  reach  it  over  the  ice  by  our  sledges.  You  will  confess  that  it 
is  not  impracticable ;  having  once  come  with  our  brig  to  latitude 
83°,  we  shall  have  only  about  six  hundred  miles  between  us  and 
the  Pole." 

"  And  what  are  six  hundred  miles,"  said  the  doctor,  briskly, 
"  when  it  is  proved  that  a  Cossack,  Alexis  Markoff,  went  along 
the  frozen  sea,  north  of  Russia,  on  sledges  drawn  by  dogs,  for  a 
distance  of  eight  hundred  miles,  in  twenty -four  days  1 " 

"  You  hear  him,  Shandon,"  answered  Hatteras,  "  and  will  you 
say  that  an  Englishman  cannot  do  as  much  as  a  Cossack  1  " 

"  Never  !  "  cried  the  enthusiastic  doctor. 

"  Never  !  "  repeated  the  boatswain. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  99 

"  Well,  Shandon  ^ "  asked  the  captain. 

"  Captain,"  answered  Shandon,  coldly,  "  I  can  only  repeat  what 
I  have  said,  —  I  shall  obey  you." 

"Well.  Now,"  continued  Hatteras,  "let  us  consider  our  pres- 
ent situation  ;  we  are  caught  in  the  ice,  and  it  seems  to  me  im- 
possible for  us  to  reach  Smith's  Sound  this  year.  This  is  what 
we  must  do." 

Hatteras  unfolded  on  the  table  one  of  the  excellent  charts  pub- 
lished in  1859  by  the  order  of  the  Admiralty. 

"  Be  good  enough  to  look  here.  If  Smith's  Sound  is  closed, 
Lancaster  Sound  is  not,  to  the  west  of  Baffin's  Bay;  in  my 
opinion,  we  ought  to  go  up  this  sound  as  far  as  Barrow  Strait,  and 
thence  to  Beechey  Island.  This  has  been  done  a  hundred  times 
by  sailing-vessels ;  we  shall  have  no  difficulty,  going  under  steam. 
Once  at  Beechey  Island,  we  shall  follow  Wellington  Sound  as  far 
northward  as  possible,  to  where  it  meets  the  channel,  connecting 
it  with  Queen's  Sound,  at  the  place  where  the  open  sea  was  seen. 
It  is  now  only  the "20th  of  May;  if  nothing  happens,  we  shall  be 
there  in  a  month,  and  from  there  we  shall  start  for  the  Pole. 
What  do  you  say  to  that,  gentlemen?" 

"  Evidently,"  said  Johnson,  "  it 's  the  only  way  open  to  us." 

"  Well,  we  shall  take  it,  and  to-morrow.  Let  Sunday  be  a  day 
of  rest ;  you  will  see,  Shandon,  that  the  Bible  is  read  as  usual ; 
the  religious  exercises  do  the  men  good,  and  a  sailor  more  than 
any  one  ought  to  put  his  trust  in  God." 

"  Very  well,  Captain,"  answered  Shandon,  who  went  away  with 
the  second  officer  and  the  boatswain. 

"  Doctor,"  said  Hatteras,  pointing  at  Shandon,  "  there  's  an 
offended  man,  whose  pride  has  ruined  him  ;  I  can  no  longer 
depend  upon  him." 

Early  the  next  day  the  captain  had  the  launch  lowered  ;  he 
went  to  reconnoitre  the  icebergs  about  the  basin,  of  which  the 
diameter  was  hardly  more  than  two  hundred  yards.  He  noticed 
that  by  the  gradual  pressure  of  the  ice,  this  space  threatened  to 
grow  smaller ;  hence  it  became  necessary  to  make  a  breach  some- 
where, to  save  the  ship  from  being  crushed  ;  by  the  means  he 
employed,  it  was  easy  to  see  that  John  Hatteras  was  an  energetic 
man. 


100 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


In  the  first  place  he  had  steps  cut,  by  which  he  climbed  to  the 
top  of  an  iceberg ;  from  that  point  he  saw  it  would  be  easy  to 

open  a  path  to  the  southwest ;  by  his 
^  orders  an  opening  was  made  in  the 

middle  of  an  iceberg,  a  task  which  was 
completed  by  Monday  evening. 

Hatteras  could  not  depend  on  his 
blasting-cylinders  of  eight  or  ten 
pounds  of  powder,  whose  action  would 
have  been  insignificant  against  such 
large  masses ;  they  were  only  of 
use  to  break  the  field-ice ;  hence  he 
placed  in  the  opening  a  thousand 
pounds  of  powder,  carefully  laying  it 
where  it  should  be  of  the  utmost  ser- 
vice. This  chamber,  to  which  ran  a 
long  fuse,  surrounded  by  gutta-percha, 
opened  on  the  outside.  The  gallery,  leading  thereto,  was  filled 
with  snow  and  lumps  of  ice,  to  which  the  cold  of  the  next  night 
gave  the  consistency  of  granite.  In  fact,  the  temperature,  un- 
der the  influence  of  the  east-wind,  fell  to  12°. 

The  next  day  at  seven  o'clock  the  Forward  was  under  steam, 
ready  to  seize  any  chance  of  escape.  Johnson  was  charged  with 
lighting  the  mine ;  the  fuse  was  calculated  to  burn  half  an  hour 
before  exploding  the  powder.  Hence  Johnson  had  plenty  of  time 
to  get  back  to  the  ship  ;  indeed,  within  ten  minutes  he  was  at  his 
post. 

The  crew  were  all  on  deck;  the  day  was  dry  and  tolerably 
clear  ;  the  snow  was  no  longer  falling ;  Hatteras,  standing  on  the 
deck  with  Shandon  and  the  doctor,  counted  the  minutes  on  his 
watch. 

At  thirty-five  minutes  after  eight  a  dull  explosion  was  heard, 
much  less  deafening  than  had  been  anticipated.  The  outline  of 
the  mountains  was  suddenly  changed,  as  by  an  earthquake  ;  a 
dense  white  smoke  rose  liigh  in  the  air,  and  long  cracks  appeared 
in  the  side  of  the  iceberg,  of  which  the  upper  part  was  hurled  to 
a  great  distance,  and  fell  in  fragments  about  the  Forward, 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  101 

But  the  way  was  by  no  means  free  yet ;  huge  lumps  of  ice  were 
suspended  u^on  the  neighboring  icebergs,  and  their  fall  threat- 
ened to  close  the  exit. 

Hatteras  saw  their  situation  in  a  flash  of  the  eye, 

"  Wolston  !  "  he  shouted. 

The  gunner  hastened  to  him. 

"  Captain  !  "  he  said. 

"  Put  a  triple  charge  in  the  forward  gun,  and  ram  it  in  as  hard 
as  possible ! " 

"  Are  we  going  to  batter  the  iceberg  down  with  cannon-balls  % " 
asked  the  doctor. 

"No,"  answered  Hatteras.  "That  would  do  no  good.  No 
balls,  Wolston,  but  a  triple  charge  of  powder.     Be  quick  !  " 

In  a  few  moments  the  gun  was  loaded. 

"  What  is  he  going  to  do  without  a  ball  1 "  muttered  Shandon 
between  his  teeth. 


"  We  '11  soon  see,"  answered  the  doctor. 

"We  are  all  ready,  Captain,"  cried  Wolston. 

"Well,"  answered  Hatteras.  "Brunton!"  he  shouted  to  the 
engineer,  "  make  ready  !     Forward  a  little  ! " 

Brunton  opened  the  valves,  and  the  screw  began  to  move ;  the 
Forward  drew  near  the  blown-up  iceberg. 


102  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

"Aim  carefully  at  the  passage!"  cried  the  captain  to  the 
gunner. 

He  obeyed ;  when  the  brig  was  only  half  a  cable-length  distant, 
Hatteras  gave  the  order,  — 

••  Fire ! " 

A  loud  report  followed,  and  the  fragments  of  ice,  detached  by 
the  commotion  of  the  air,  fell  suddenly  into  the  sea.  The  simple 
concussion  had  been  enough. 

"  Put  on  full  steam,  Brunton  !  "  shouted  Hatteras.  "  Straight 
for  the  passage,  Johnson  !  " 

Johnson  was  at  the  helm ;  the  brig,  driven  by  the  screw,  which 
tossed  the  water  freely,  entered  easily  the  open  passage.  It  was 
time.  The  Forward  had  hardly  passed  through  the  opening,  be- 
fore it  closed  behind  it. 

It  was  an  exciting  moment,  and  the  only  calm  and  collected 
man  on  board  was  the  captain.  So  the  crew,  amazed  at  the  suc- 
cess of  this  device,  could  not  help  shouting,  — 

"  Hurrah  for  John  Hatteras ! " 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE    EXPEDITIONS    IN    SEARCH    OF    FRANKLIN. 

Wednesday,  the  21st  of  May,  the  Forward  resumed  her  peril- 
ous voyage,  making  her  way  dexterously  through  the  packs  and 
icebergs,  thanks  to  steam,  which  is  seldom  used  by  explorers 
in  polar  seas ;  she  seemed  to  sport  among  the  moving  masses ; 
one  would  have  said  she  felt  the  hand  of  a  skilled  master,  and 
that,  like  a  horse  under  a  skilful  rider,  she  obeyed  the  thought  of 
her  captain. 

The  weather  grew  warmer.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
thermometer  stood  at  26°,  at  six  in  the  evening  at  29°,  and  at 
midnight  at  25° ;  the  wind  was  light  from  the  southeast. 

Thursday,  at  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  Forioard 
arrived  in  sight  of  Possession  Bay,  on  the  American  shore,  at  the 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


103 


entrance  of  Lancaster  Sound ;  soon  Cape  Burney  came  into  sight. 
A  few  Esquimaux  came  out  to  the  ship ;  but  Hatteras  could  not 
stop  to  speak  with  them. 


The  peaks  of  Byam  Martin,  which  rise  above  Cape  Liverpool, 
were  passed  on  the  left,  and  they  soon  disappeared  in  the  evening 
mist ;  this  hid  from  them  Cape  Hay,  which  has  a  very  slight  ele- 
vation, and  so  is  frequently  confounded  with  ice  about  the  shore, 
a  circumstance  which  very  often  renders  the  determination  of  the 
coast-line  in  polar  regions  very  difficult. 

Puffins,  ducks,  and  white  gulls  appeared  in  great  numbers. 
By  observation  the  latitude  was  74°  1',  and  the  longitude, 
according  to  the  chronometer,  77°  15'. 

The  two  mountains,  Catherine  and  Elizabeth,  raised  their 
snowy  heads  above  the  clouds. 

At  ten  o'clock  on  Friday  Cape  Warrender  was  passed  on  the 

right  side  of  the  sound,  and  on  the  left  Admiralty  Inlet,  a  bay 

which   has    never    been    fully  explored  by  navigators,   who   are 

always  hastening  westward.     The  sea  ran  rather  high,  and  the 

waves  often  broke  over  the  bows,  covering  the  deck  with  small 

fragments  of  ice.      The   land   on  the  north  coast  presented  a 
17 


104         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

strange  appearance  with  its  high,  flat  table-lands  sparkling  be- 
neath the  Sim's  rays. 

Hatteras  would  have  liked  to  skirt  these  northern  lands,  in 
order  to  reach  the  sooner  Beechey  Island  and  the  entrance  of 
Wellington  Channel;  but,  much  to  his  chagrin,  the  bank-ice 
obliged  him  to  take  only  the  passes  to  the  south. 

Hence,  on  the  26th  of  May, 
in  the  midst  of  a  fog  and 
a  snow-storm,  the  Forward 
found  herself  off  Cape  York; 
a  lofty,  steep  mountain  was 
soon  recognized;  the  weather 
got  a  little  clearer,  •  and  at 
midday  the  sun  appeared  long 
enough  to  permit  an  observa- 
tion to  be  taken  :  latitude 
74°  4',  and  longitude  84°  23'. 
The  Forward  was  at  the  end 
of  Lancaster  Sound. 

Hatteras  showed  the  doctor 
on  the  chart  the  route  he  had 
taken  and  that  which  he  was 
to   follow.     At  that  time  the 
position  of  the  brig  was  interesting. 

**I  should  have  liked  to  be  farther  north,"  he  said,  "but  it 
was  impossible  ;  see,  here  is  our  exact  position." 
The  captain  pointed  to  a  spot  near  Cape  York. 
"We  are  in  the  middle  of  this  open  space,  exposed  to  every 
wind ;  into  it  open  Lancaster  Sound,  Barrow  Strait,  Wellington 
Channel,  and  Regent's  Inlet ;  here,  of  necessity,  come  all  north- 
em  explorers." 

"  Well,"  answered  the  doctor,  "  so  much  the  worse  for  them ; 
it  is  indeed  an  open  space,  where  four  roads  meet,  and  I  don't  see 
any  sign-post  to  point  out  the  right  way  !  What  did  Parry,  Ross, 
and  Franklin  do  1 " 

"  They  did  n't  do  anything  in  particular ;  they  let  themselves 
be  governed  by  circumstances ;  they  had  no  choice,  I  can  assure 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  105 

you ;  at  one  time  Barrow  Strait  would  be  closed  against  one,  and 
the  next  year  it  would  be  open  for  another ;  again  the  ship  would 
be  irresistibly  driven  towards  Regent's  Inlet.  In  this  way  we 
have  at  last  been  able  to  learn  the  geography  of  these  confused 
seas." 

"  What  a  strange  region  !  "  said  the  doctor,  gazing  at  the  chart. 
"  How  everything  is  divided  and  cut  up,  without  order  or  reason ! 
It  seems  as  if  all  the  land  near  the  Pole  were  divided  in  this  way 
in  order  to  make  the  approach  harder,  while  in  the  other  hemi- 
sphere it  ends  in  smooth,  regular  points,  like  Cape  Horn  or  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  the  Indian  peninsula!  Is  it  the 
greater  rapidity  at  the  equator  which  has  thus  modified  things, 
while  the  land  lying  at  the  extremity,  which  was  fluid  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  world,  could  not  condense  and  unite  as  elsewhere, 
on  account  of  slower  rotation  V 

"  That  may  be,  for  there  is  a  reason  for  everything,  and  noth- 
ing happens  without  a  cause,  which  God  sometimes  lets  students 
find  out ;  so,  Doctor,  find  it  out  if  you  can." 

"  I  shall  not  waste  too  much  time  over  it,  Captain.  But  what 
is  this  fierce  wind  % "  added  the  doctor,  wrapping  himself  up  well. 

"  The  north-wind  is  the  common  one,  and  delays  our  progress." 

"  Still' it  ought  to  blow  the  ice  toward  the  south,  and  leave  our 
way  free." 

"  It  ought  to.  Doctor,  but  the  wind  does  n't  always  do  what  it 
ought  to.  See,  that  ice  looks  impenetrable.  We  shall  try  to 
reach  Griffith  Island,  then  to  get  around  Cornwallis  Island  to 
reach  Queen's  Channel,  without  going  through  Wellington  Chan- 
nel. And  yet  I  am  anxious  to  touch  at  Beechey  Island  to  get 
some  more  coal." 

"  How  will  you  do  that  % "  asked  the  astonished  doctor. 

"  Easily  ;  by  order  of  the  Admiralty,  a  great  amount  has  been 
placed  on  this  island,  to  supply  future  expeditions,  and  although 
Captain  MacClintock  took  some  in  1859,  I  can  assure  you  there 
is  still  some  left  for  us." 

"  In  fact,  these  regions  have  been  explored  for  fifteen  years, 
and  until  certain  proof  of  Franklin's  death  was  received,  the  Ad- 
miralty always  kept  five  or  six  ships  cruising  in  these  waters.     If 


106  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

I  'm  not  mistaken,  Griffith  Island,  which  I  see  in  the  middle  of 
the  open  space,  has  become, a  general  rendezvous  for  explorers." 

"  True,  Doctor,  and  Franklin's  ill-fated  expedition  has  been  the 
means  of  our  learning  so  much  about  these  parts." 

"  Exactly ;  for  there  have  been  a  great  many  expeditions  since 
1845.  It  was  not  till  1848  that  there  was  any  alarm  about  the 
continued  non-appearance  of  the  Erebus  and  the  Terror,  Frank- 
lin's two  ships.  Then  the  admiral's  old  friend,  Dr.  Richardson, 
seventy  years  of  age,  went  through  Canada,  and  descended  Cop- 
permine River  to  the  Polar  Sea  ;  on  the  other  side,  James  Ross, 
in  command  of  the  Enterprise  and  the  Investigator,  sailed  from 
Upernavik  in  1848,  and  reached  Cape  York,  where  we  are  now. 
Every  day  he  threw  overboard  a  cask  containing  papers  telling 
where  he  was ;  during  fogs  he  fired  cannon ;  at  night  he  burned 
signal-fires  and  sent  off  rockets,  carrying  always  but  little  sail ; 
finally,  he  wintered  at  Leopold's  Harbor  in  1848-49;  there  he 
caught  a  large  number  of  white  foxes  ;  he  had  put  on  their  necks 
copper  collars  on  which  was  engraved  a  statement  of  the  position 
of  the  ship  and  where  supplies  had  been  left,  and  he  drove  them 
away  in  every  direction  ;  then,  in  the  spring,  he  explored  the 
coast  of  North  Somerset  on  sledges,  amid  dangers  and  privations 
which  disabled  nearly  all  his  men.  He  built  cairns,  enclosing 
copper  cylinders  with  instructions  to  the  absent  expedition ;  dur- 
ing his  absence,  Lieutenant  MacClure  explored  fruitlessly  the 
northern  coast  of  Barrow  Strait.  It  is  noteworthy.  Captain,  that 
James  Ross  had  among  his  officers  two  men  w^ho  afterwards  be- 
came celebrated,  —  MacClure,  who  found  the  Northwest  Passage, 
and  MacClintock,  who  found  the  last  remains  of  the  Franklin 
expedition." 

"  Two  good  and  brave  captains,  two  brave  Englishmen ;  go  on. 
Doctor,  with  this  account  which  you  know  so  well ;  there  is 
always  something  to  be  learned  from  the  account  of  bold  adven- 
turers." 

"  Well,  to  conclude  with  James  Ross,  I  have  only  to  add  that 
he  tried  to  go  fiirther  west  from  Melville  Island ;  but  he  nearly 
lost  his  ships,  and  being  caught  in  the  ice  he  was  carried,  against 
his  will,  to  Baffin's  Bay." 


He  caught  a  large  number  of  white  foxes  ;  he  had  put  on  their  necks  copper 
collars."  — Page  io6. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  107 

"  Carried,"  said  Hatteras,  frowning,  — ''  carried  against  his  will ! " 

"He  had  discovered  nothing,"  resumed  the  doctor;  "it  was 
only  after  1850  that  English  ships  were  always  exploring  there, 
when  a  reward  of  twenty  thousand  pounds  was  offered  to  any  one 
who  should  discover  the  crews  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror.  Al- 
ready, in  1848,  Captains  Kellet  and  Moore,  in  command  of  the 
Herald  and  the  Plover,  tried  to  make  their  way  through  by  Behr- 
ing  Strait.  I  ought  to  say  that  the  winter  of  1850-51,  Captain 
Austin  passed  at  Coniwallis  Island ;  Captain  Penny,  with  the  ^5- 
sistance  and  Resolute,  explored  Wellington  Channel;  old  John 
Ross,  who  discovered  the  magnetic  pole,  started  in  his  yacht,  the 
Felix,  in  search  of  his  friend ;  the  brig  Prince  Albert  made  her 
first  voyag3  at  the  expense  of  Lady  Franklin ;  and,  finally,  two 
American  ships,  sent  out  by  Grinnell,  under  Captain  Haven,  car- 
ried beyond  Wellington  Channel,  were  cast  into  Lancaster  Sound. 
It  was  during  this  year  that  MacClintock,  Austin's  lieutenant, 
pushed  on  to  Melville  Island  and  to  Cape  Dundas,  the  extreme 
points  reached  by  Parry  in  1819,  and  on  Beechey  Island  were 
found  traces  of  Franklin's  wintering  there  in  1845." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Hatteras,  "  three  of  his  sailors  were  buried 
there,  three  fortunate  men  ! " 

"From  1851  to  1852,"  continued  the  doctor,  with  a  gesture  of 
agreement,  "  we  find  the  Prince  Albert  making  a  second  attempt 
with  the  French  lieutenant,  Bellot ;  he  winters  at  Batty  Bay  in 
Prince  Regent's  Sound,  explores  the  southwest  of  Somerset,  and 
reconnoitres  the  coast  as  far  as  Cape  Walker.  Meanwhile,  the 
Enterprise  and  Investigator,  having  i-eturned  to  England,  came 
under  the  command  of  Collinson  and  MacClure,  and  they  rejoined 
Kellet  and  Moore  at  Behring  Strait ;  while  Collinson  returned 
to  winter  at  Hong-Kong,  MacClure  went  on,  and  after  three 
winters,  1850-51,  1851-52,  and  1852-53,  he  discovered  the 
Northwest  Passage  without  finding  any  traces  of  Franklin.  From 
1852  to  1853,  a  new  expedition,  consisting  of  three  sailing-ves- 
sels, the  Assistance,  the  Resolute,  the  North  Star,  and  two  steam- 
vessels,  the  Pioneer  and  the  Intrepid,  started  out  under  the  orders 
of  Sir  Edward  Belcher,  with  Captain  Kellet  second  in  command ; 
Sir  Edward  visited  Wellington  Channel,  wintered  in  Northumber- 


108  TEE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

land  Bay,  and  explored  the  coast,  while  Kellet,  pushing  on  as  far 
as  Brideport  on  Melville  Island,  explored  that  region  without  suc- 
cess. But  then  it  was  rumored  in  England  that  two  ships,  aban- 
doned in  the  ice,  had  been  seen  not  far  from  New  Caledonia.  At 
once  Lady  Franklin  fitted  out  the  little  screw-steamer  Isabella, 
and  Captain  Inglefield,  after  ascending  Baffin's  Bay  to  Victoria 
Point,  at  the  eightieth  parallel,  returned  to  Beechey  Island  with 
equal  unsuccess.  At  the  beginning  of  1855  the  American  Grinnell 
defrays  the  expense  of  a  new  expedition,  and  Dr.  Kane,  trying  to 
reach  the  Pole  —  " 

"  But  he  did  not  succeed,"  cried  Hatteras  with  violence,  "  and 
thank  God  he  did  not !     What  he  did  not  do,  we  shall !  " 

"  I  know  it.  Captain,"  answered  the  doctor,  "  and  I  only  speak 
of  it  on  account  of  its  connection  with  the  search  for  Franklin. 
Besides,  it  accomplished  nothing.  I  nearly  forgot  to  say  that  the 
Admiralty,  regarding  Beechey  Island  as  a  general  rendezvous, 
ordered  the  steamer  Phoenix,  Captain  Inglefield,  in  1853,  to  carry 
provisions  there  ;  he  sailed  with  Lieutenant  Bellot,  who  for  the 
second,  and  last,  time  offered  his  services  to  England;  we  can  get 
full  details  about  the  catastrophe,  for  Johnson,  our  boatswain, 
was  eye-witness  of  this  sad  affair." 

"  Lieutenant  Bellot  was  a  brave  Frenchman,"  said  Hatteras, 
"and  his  memory  is  honored  in  England." 

"  Then,"  resumed  the  doctor,  "  the  ships  of  Belcher's  squadron 
began  to  return  one  by  one  ;  not  all,  for  Sir  Edward  had  to 
abandon  the  Assistance  in  1854,  as  McClure  had  the  Investigator 
in  1853.  Meanwhile  Dr.  Rae,  in  a  letter  dated  July  29,  1854, 
written  from  Repulse  Bay,  gave  information  that  the  Esquimaux 
of  King  William's  Laud  had  in  their  possession  different  objects 
belonging  to  the  Erehus  and  T err  err ;  then  there  was  no  doubt 
possible  about  the  fate  of  the  expediton  ;  the  Phoenix,  the  North 
Star,  and  the  ship  of  Collinson  returned  to  England ;  there  was 
then  no  English  ship  in  these  waters.  But  if  the  government 
seemed  to  have  lost  all  hope,  Lady  Franklin  did  not  despair,  and 
with  what  was  left  of  her  fortune  she  fitted  out  the  Fox,  com- 
manded by  MacClintock;  he  set  sail  in  1857,  wintered  about  where 
you  made  yourself  known  to  us.  Captain;  he  came  to  Beechey 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  109 

Island,  August  11,  1858;  the  next  winter  he  passed  at  Bellot 
Sound;  in  February,  1859,  he  began  his  explorations  anew;  on 
the  6th  of  May  he  found  the  document  which  left  no  further  doubt 
as  to  the  fate  of  the  Erehus  and  Terror,  and  returned  to  England 
at  the  end  of  the  same  year.  That  is  a  complete  account  of  all 
that  has  been  done  in  these  regions  during  the  last  fifteen  years ; 
and  since  the  return  of  the  Fox,  no  ship  has  ventured  among 
these  dangerous  waters  !  " 

"  Well,  we  shall  try  it !  "  said  Hatteras. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    FORWARD    DRIVEN    SOUTHWARD. 

Towards  evening  the  weather  cleared  up,  and  land  was  clearly 
to  be  seen  between  Cape  Sepping  and  Cape  Clarence,  which  juts 
out  to  the  east,  then  to  the  south,  and  is  connected  to  the  main- 
land on  the  west  by  a  low  tongue  of  land.  There  was  no  ice  at 
the  entrance  of  Regent  s  Sound  ;  but  it  was  densely  massed  be- 
yond Leopold  Harbor,  as  if  to  form  an  impassable  barrier  to  the 
northward  progress  of  the  Forward. 

Hatteras,  who,  although  he  carefully  concealed  his  feelings,  was 
exceedingly  annoyed,  had  to  blow  out  a  way  with  powder  in  order 
to  enter  Leopold  Harbor;  he  reached  it  at  midday,  on  Sunday, 
May  27th ;  the  brig  was  securely  anchored  to  the  large  icebergs, 
which  were  as  firm,  solid,  and  hard  as  rock. 

At  once  the  captain,  followed  by  the  doctor,  Johnson,  and  his 
dog  Duke,  leaped  out  upon  the  ice  and  soon  reached  the  land. 
Duke  leaped  about  with  joy ;  besides,  since  the  captain  had 
made  himself  known,  he  had  become  very  sociable  and  very 
gentle,  preserving  his  ill-temper  for  some  of  the  crew,  whom  his 
master  disliked  as  much  as  he  did. 

The  harbor  was  free  from  the  ice  which  is  generally  forced  there 
by  the  east-wind ;  the  sharp  peaks,  covered  with  snow,  looked 
like  a  number  of  white  waves.     The  house  and  lantern,  built  by 

18 


110         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HAT T ERAS. 

James  Ross,  were  still  in  a  tolerable  state  of  preservation ;  but 
the  provisions  appeared  to  have  been  eaten  by  foxes,  and  even  by 
bears,  of  which  fresh  traces  were  to  be  seen ;  part  of  the  devas- 
tation was  probably  due  to  the  hand  of  man,  for  some  ruins  of 
Esquimaux  huts  were  to  be  seen  on  the  shores  of  the  bay. 

The  six  tombs,  enclosing  six  sailors  of  the  Enterprise  and  the 
Investigator  J  were  recognizable  by  little  mounds  of  earth ;  they 
had  been  respected  by  all,  by  both  men  and  beasts. 

On  first  setting  his  foot  on  this  northern  earth,  the  doctor  was 
really  agitated ;  it  would  not  be  easy  to  describe  the  emotions 
one  feels  at  the  sight  of  these  ruined  houses,  tents,  huts,  supplies, 
which  nature  preserves  so  perfectly  in  cold  countries. 

"  There,"  said  he  to  his  companions,  —  "  there  is  the  spot  which 
James  Ross  himself  named  Camp  Refuge  !    If  Franklin's  expedi- 


tion had  reached  this  spot,  it  would  have  been  saved.  Here  is 
the  engine  which  was  taken  out  and  left  here,  and  the  furnace 
which  warmed  the  crew  of  the  Prince  Albert  in  1851 ;  everything 
remains  as  it  was  left,  and  one  might  fancy  that  Kennedy,  her 
captain,  had  sailed  away  from  here  yesterday.  This  is  the  launch 
that  sheltered  them  for  some  days,  for  Kennedy  was  separated 
from  his  ship,  and  only  saved  by  Lieutenant  Bellot,  who  braved 
the  cold  of  October  to  join  him." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  m 

"  A  brave  and  excellent  officer  he  was,"  said  Johnson.  "  I 
knew  him." 

While  the  doctor  eagerly  sought  for  traces  of  previous  winter- 
ings there,  Hatteras  busied  himself  with  collecting  the  scanty 
fragments  of  fuel  and  provisions  which  lay  there.  The  next  day 
was  devoted  to  carrying  them  on  board  ship.  The  doctor  ex- 
plored the  whole  neighborhood,  never  going  too  far  from  the  brig, 
and  slietched  the  most  remarkable  views.  The  weather  gradu- 
ally grew  milder;  the  snow-drifts  began  to  melt.  The  doctor 
made  a  tolerabl}^  large  collection  of  northern  birds,  such  as  gulls, 
divers,  molly-nochtes,  and  eider-ducks,  which  resemble  ordinary 
ducks,  with  a  white  back  and  breast,  a  blue  belly,  the  top  of  the 
head  blue,  the  rest  of  the  plumage  white,  shaded  with  different 


tints  of  green ;  many  of  them  had  already  plucked  from  their 
bellies  the  eider-down,  which  both  the  male  and  the  female  devote 
to  lining  their  nests.  The  doctor  also  saw  great  seals  breathing 
at  the  surface  of  the  water,  but  he  was  unable  to  draw  one. 

In  his   wanderings  he  discovered  the  stone  on  which  is  en- 
graved the  following  inscription  :  — 

[E  I] 
1849, 


112  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

which  marks  the  passage  of  the  Enterprise  and  Investigator;  he 
pushed  on  to  Cape  Clarence,  to  the  spot  where,  in  1833,  John 
and  James  Ross  w^aited  so  impatiently  for  the  ice  to  thaw.  The 
earth  was  covered  with  the  skulls  and  bones  of  animals,  and 
traces  of  the  dwellings  of  Esquimaux  were  to  be  seen. 


^j^A'^'^f 


The  doctor  thought  of  erecting  a  cairn  at  Leopold  Harbor,  and 
of  leaving  a  letter  there  to  indicate  the  passage  of  the  Forward 
and  the  aim  of  the  expedition.  But  Hatteras  formally  objected ; 
he  did  not  wish  to  leave  behind  him  any  traces  which  might  be 
of  use  to  a  rival.  In  spite  of  all  he  could  say,  the  doctor  was 
obliged  to  yield  to  the  captain's  will.  Shandon  was  ready  enough 
to  blame  this  obstinacy,  for,  in  case  of  accident,  no  ship  could 
have  put  out  to  the  aid  of  the  Forward. 

Hatteras  refused  to  comply.  Having  completed  his  prepara- 
tions on  Monday,  he  tried  once  more  to  go  to  the  north  through 
the  ice,  but,  after  dangerous  efforts,  he  was  obliged  to  descend 
again  Regent's  Channel ;  he  was  utterly  averse  to  remaining  at 
Leopold's  Harbor,  which  is  open  one  day  and  closed  the  next  by 
the  unheralded  motion  of  the  ice,  —  a  frequent  phenomenon  in 
these  seas,  and  one  against  which  navigators  have  to  be  ever  on 
their  guard. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  113 

If  Hatteras  kept  his  anxiety  from  the  others,  he  was  at  heart 
very  anxious  ;  he  wanted  to  go  northward,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
retreat  to  the  south  !  Where  would  that  bring  him  %  Was  he 
going  as  far  back  as  Victoria  Harbor  in  the  Gulf  of  Boothia, 
where  Sir  John  Ross  wintered  in  18331  Should  he  find  Bellot 
Sound  free  at  this  time,  and,  by  going  around  North  Somerset, 
could  he  ascend  through  Peel  Sound?  Or  should  he,  like  his 
predecessors,  be  caught  for  many  winters,  and  be  obliged  to  con- 
sume all  his  supplies  and  provisions  % 

These  fears  tormented  him;  but  he  had  to  decide;  he  put 
about  and  started  for  the  south. 

Prince  Regent's  Channel  is  of  nearly  uniform  wddth  from  Leo- 
pold's Harbor  to  Adelaide  Bay.  The  Forward  went  rapidly 
through  the  ice,  with  better  fortune  than  many  other  ships,  most 
of  which  required  a  month  to  descend  the  channel,  even  in  a  bet- 
ter season ;  it  is  true  that  none  of  these  ships,  except  the  Fox, 
had  steam  at  their  command,  and  were  obliged  to  do  their  best 
against  frequent  unfavorable  winds. 

The  crew  seemed  overjoyed  at  leaving  the  northewr  regions ; 
they  had  but  a  slight  desire  to  reach  the  Pole ;  they  were  alarmed 
at  Hatteras's  plans,  for  his  reputation  as  a  fearless  man  inspired 
them  with  but  little  confidence.  Hatteras  tried  to  make  use  of 
every  opportunity  to  go  forward,  whatever  the  consequences  might 
be.  And  yet  in  these  parts,  to  advance  is  all  very  well,  but  one 
must  also  maintain  his  position  and  not  run  the  risk  of  losing  it. 

The  Forward  went  on  under  full  steam;  the  black  smoke 
whirled  in  spirals  about  the  sparkling  summits  of  the  icebergs ; 
the  weather  was  changeable,  turning  from  a  dry  cold  to  a  snow- 
storm with  inconceivable  rapidity.  Since  the  brig  drew  but  little 
water,  Hatteras  hugged  the  west  shore ;  he  did  not  want  to  miss 
the  entrance  of  Bellot  Sound,  for  the  Gulf  of  Boothia  has  no  other 
entrance  towards  the  south  than  the  slightly  known  sound  of  the 
Fury  and  the  Heda  ;  hence  the  gulf  would  be  impassable,  if  Bel- 
lot Sound  were  missed  or  found  impracticable. 

By  evening  the  Forward  was  in  sight  of  Elwin  Ba}^,  which  was 
recognized  by  its  high,  steep  cliffs ;  Tuesday  morning  Batty  Bay 
was  seen,   where,  on  the  10th  of  September,  1851,  the  Prince 


114 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS, 


Albert  anchored  for  the  winter.  The  doctor  examined  the  coast 
with  interest  through  his  glass.  From  this  point  started  the  ex- 
peditions which  determined  the  shape  of  North  Somerset.  The 
weather  was  clear  enough  for  them  to  see  the  deep  ravines  sur- 
rounding the  bay. 

The  doctor  and  Johnson  were  probably  the  only  ones  who  took 
any  interest  in  these  deserted  countries.  Hatteras,  always  study- 
ing his  charts,  talked  little  ;  his  silence  increased  as  the  ship 
drew  southward  ;  he  often  went  upon  the  quarter-deck,  and  there 
he  would  remain  for  hours,  with  folded  arms,  gazing  absently  at  the 
horizon.  His  orders,  when  he  gave  any,  were  short  and  quick. 
Shandon  maintained  a  cold  silence,  and  drawing  more  and  more 
into  himself,  he  had  nothing  more  to  do  with  Hatteras  than  was 
officially  required;  James  Wall  remained  devoted  to  Shandon, 
and  modelled  his  conduct  after  that  of  his  friend.  The  rest  of 
the  crew  waited  for  whatever  might  turn  up,  ready  to  make  the 
best  use  of  it  for  their  own  profit.'  On  board  there  was  none  of 
the  unanimity  which  is  so  necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of 
gi-eat  things.     Hatteras  knew  this  well. 

During  the  day  two  whalers  were  seen  making  toward  the 
south )  a  white  bear,  too,  was  saluted  with  a  few  rifle-shots,  but 


apparently  without  success.     The  captain  knew  the  worth  of  an 
hour  at  that  time,  and  refused  permission  to  chase  the  animal. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  115 

Wednesday  morning  the  end  of  Regent  Channel  was  passed ; 
the  angle  of  the  west  coast  was  followed  by  a  deep  curve  in  the 
land.  On  examining  his  chart,  the  doctor  recognized  Somerset- 
House  Point,  or  Point  Fury. 

"  There,"  he  said  to  his  usual  companion,  —  "  there  is  where  ^he 
first  English  ship  was  lost  that  was  sent  to  these  seas  in  1815,  in 
Parry's  third  voyage ;  the  Fury  was  so  much  injured  by  the  ice 
in  her  second  winter,  that  the  crew  were  obliged  to  abandon  her 
and  to  return  to  England  in  her  companion,  the  Heclay 

"  A  good  reason  for  having  another  ship,"  answered  Johnson ; 
"  that  is  a  precaution  which  polar  explorers  should  not  neglect ; 
but  Captain  Hatteras  was  not  the  man  to  burden  himself  with  a 
companion ! " 

"  Do  you  consider  him  rash,  Johnson  1 "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  I  ?  0,  I  don't  say  anything  of  the  sort.  Dr.  Clawbonny  !  But 
see  those  piles  there,  with  fragments  of  a  tent  hanging  to  them." 

"Yes,  Johnson,  it  is  there  Parry  unloaded  all  his  ship's  sup- 
plies, and,  if  my  memory  serves  me  right,  the  roof  of  the  hut  he 
built  was  made  out  of  a  mainsail  covered  by  the  running-rigging 
of  the  Furyy 

"That  must  have  changed  a  good  deal  since  1825." 

"Not  so  very  much.  In  1829,  John  Ross  kept  his  crew  safe 
and  sound  in  this  light  building.  In  1851,  when  Prince  Albert 
sent  out  an  expedition,  this  hut  was  still  standing ;  Captain  Ken- 
nedy repaired  it  nine  years  ago.  It  would  be  interesting  to  visit 
it,  but  Hatteras  is  unwilling  to  stop." 

"And  he  is  probably  right.  Dr.  Clawbonny;  if  in  England 
time  is  money,  here  it  is  safety,  and  for  the  delay  of  a  day,  of  an 
hour  even,  the  whole  voyage  might  be  rendered  useless.  We 
must  let  him  do  as  he  pleases." 

On  Thursday,  June  1st,  the  Forivard  sailed  diagonally  across 
Creswell  Bay ;  from  Point  Fury  the  coast  rises  in  steep  rocks 
three  hundred  feet  high ;  towards  the  south,  it  is  lower ;  a  few 
snowy  summits  are  to  be  seen,  of  a  regular  shape,  while  others, 
more  fantastic,  were  hidden  in  the  clouds. 

During  that  day  the  weather  grew  milder,  but  cloudier ;  they 
lost  sight  of  land ;  the  thermometer  rose  to  32° ;   a  few  water- 


116  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

quail  were  to  be  seen,  and  flocks  of  wild  geese  flew  toward  the 
north;  the  crew  laid  aside  some  of  their  thick  clothes;  they 
began  to  be  aware  of  the  approach  of  summer  in  the  arctic 
regions. 

Toward  evening  the  Forward  doubled  Cape  Garry,  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  the  shore.  The  lead  marked  ten  to  twelve  fathoms, 
and  they  bore  along  the  shore  to  Brentford  Bay.  In  this  latitude 
they  were  to  find  Bellot  Sound,  a  sound  which  entirely  escaped 
the  notice  of  Sir  John  Ross  in  his  expedition  of  1828 ;  his  charts 
indicated  an  unbroken  coast-line,  with  the  least  irregularities  in- 
dicated with  the  utmost  care  ;  hence  it  is  to  be  supposed  that 
when  he  passed  by  the  entrance  of  the  sound,  it  was  completely 
closed  with  ice  and  so  could  not  be  distinguished  from  the  land. 

This  sound  was  really  discovered  by  Captain  Kennedy  in  an 
excursion  made  in  April,  1852  ;  he  named  it  after  Lieutenant 
Bellot,  as  "  a  just  tribute,"  as  he  said,  "  to  the  important  services 
rendered  to  our  expedition  by  the  French  officer." 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE   MAGNETIC    POLE. 

As  Hatteras  drew  near  this  sound  he  felt  his  anxiety  redoub- 
ling ;  in  fact,  the  success  of  his  expedition  was  at  stake ;  so  far  he 
had  done  nothing  more  than  his  predecessors,  the  most  successful 
of  whom,  MacClintock,  had  consumed  fifteen  months  in  reaching 
this  spot;  but  that  was  little,  indeed  nothing,  if  he  could  not 
make  Bellot  Sound ;  being  unable  to  return,  he  would  be  kept  a 
prisoner  until  the  next  year. 

Hence  he  took  upon  himself  the  care  of  examining  the  coast ; 
he  went  up  to  the  lookout,  and  on  Saturday  passed  many  hours 
there. 

The  crew  were  all  acquainted  with  the  situation  of  the  ship ; 
an  unbroken  silence  reigned  on  board  ;  the  engine  was  slackened ; 
the  Forward  ran  as  near  shore  as  possible ;   the  coast  was  lined 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  117 

with  ice  which  the  warmest  summers  could  not  melt ;  a  practised 
eye  was  needed  to  make  out  an  entrance  through  them. 

Hatteras  was  comparing  his  charts  with  the  coast-line.  The 
sun  having  appeared  for  a  moment  at  noon,  Shandon  and  Wall 
took  an  observation,  the  result  of  which  was  at  once  told  him. 

There  was  half  a  day  of  anxiety  for  all.  But  suddenly,  at  about 
two  o'clock,  these  words  were  shouted  from  aloft,  — 

"  Head  to  the  west,  and  put  on  all  steam." 

The  brig  obeyed  at  once,  turning  to  the  point  directed;  the 
screw  churned  the  water,  and  the  Forward  plunged  under  a  full 
J  ead  of  steam  between  two  swiftly  running  ice-streams. 

The  path  was  found ;  Hatteras  came  down  to  the  quarter-deck, 
and  the  ice-msster  went  aloft. 

"  Well,  Captain,"  said  the  doctor,  "  we  have  entered  this  famous 
sound  at  last !  " 

"Yes,"  answered  Hatteras;  "but  entering  is  not  all,  we  have 
got  to  get  out  of  it  too." 

And  with  these  words  he  went  to  his  cabin. 

"He  is  right,"  thought  the  doctor ;  "we  are  in  a  sort  of  trap, 
without  much  space  to  turn  about  in,  and  if  we  had  to  winter 
here  !  —  well,  we  should  n't  be  the  first  to  do  it,  and  where  others 
lived  through  it,  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  !  " 

The  doctor  was  right.  It  was  at  this  very  place,  in  a  little 
sheltered  harbor  called  Port  Kennedy  by  Ma.cClintock  himself, 
that  the  Fox  wintered  in  1858.  At  that  moment  it  was  easy  to 
recognize  the  lofty  granite  chains,  and  the  steep  beaches  on  each 
side. 

Bellot  Sound,  a  mile  broad  and  seventeen  long,  with  a  current 
running  six  or  seven  knots,  is  enclosed  by  mountains  of  an  esti- 
mated height  of  sixteen  hundred  feet ;  it  separates  North  Som- 
erset from  Boothia  ;  it  is  easy  to  see  that  there  is  not  too  much 
sailing  room  there.  The  Forward  advanced  carefully,  but  still 
she  advanced ;  tempests  are  frequent  in  this  narrow  pass,  and  the 
brig  did  not  escape  their  usual  violence  ;  by  Hatteras's  orders, 
all  the  topsail-j^ards  were  lowered,  and  the  topmasts  also  ;  in 
spite  of  everything  the  ship  labored  fearfully  ;  the  heavy  seas 

kept  the  deck  continually  deluged  with  water ;  the  smoke  flew 
19 


118  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  H ATT  ERAS. 

eastward  with  inconceivable  rapidity ;  they  went  on  almost  at 
haphazard  through  the  floating  ice  ;  the  barometer  fell  to  29° ; 
it  was  hard  to  stay  on  deck,  so  most  of  the  men  were  kept  below 
to  spare  them  unnecessary  exposure. 

Hatteras,  Johnson, 
and  Shandon  remained 
on  the  quarter-deck,  in 
spite  of  the  whirlwinds 
of  snow  and  rain ;  and 
the  doctor,  who  had 
just  asked  himself  what 
was  the  most  disagree- 
able thing  to  be  done  at 
that  time,  soon  joined 
them  there;  they  could 
not  hear,  and  hardly 
could  they  see,  one  an- 
other; so  he  kept  his 
thoughts  to  himself. 

Hatteras  tried  to 
pierce  the  dense  cloud 
of  mist,  for,  according 
to  his  calculation,  they 
should  be  through  the 
strait  at  six  o'clock  of 
the  evening.  At  tliat  time  exit  seemed  closed,  and  Hatteras  was 
obliged  to  stop  and  anchor  to  an  iceberg ;  but  steam  was  kept  up 
all  night. 

Tlie  weather  was  terrible.  Every  moment  the  Forward  threat- 
ened to  snap  her  cables ;  there  was  danger,  too,  lest  the  moun- 
tain should  be  driven  by  the  wind  and  crush  the  brig.  The 
officers  kept  on  the  alert,  owing  to  their  extreme  anxiety  ;  be- 
sides the  snow,  large  lumps  of  frozen  spray  were  blown  about  by 
the  hurricane  like  sharp  arrows. 

The  temperature  arose  strangely  in  that  terrible  night;  the 
thermometer  marked  57°  ;  and  the  doctor,  to  his  great  surprise, 
thought  he  noticed  some  flashes  of  lightning  followed  by  distant 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


119 


thunder.  This  seemed  to  corroborate  the  testimony  of  Scoresby, 
who  noticed  the  same  phenomenon  above  latitude  65°.  Captain 
Parry  also  observed  it  in  1821. 

Towards  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  weather  changed  with 
singular  rapidity  ;  the  temperature  fell  to  the  freezing-point ;  the 
wind  shifted  to  the  north  and  grew  quiet.  The  western  opening 
of  the  strait  could  be  seen,  but  it  was  entirely  closed.  Hatteras 
gazed  anxiously  at  the  coast,  asking  himself  if  there  really  were 
any  exit. 

Nevertheless,  the  brig  put  out  slowly  into  the  ice-streams, 
while  the  ice  crushed  noisily  against  her  bows ;  the  packs  at  this 
time  were  six  or  seven  feet  thick  ;  it  was  necessary  carefully  to 
avoid  them,  for  if  the  ship  should  try  to  withstand  them,  it  ran  the 
risk  of  being  lifted  half  ojut  of  the  water  and  cast  on  her  beam-ends. 


At  noon,  for  the  first  time,  a  magnificent  solar  phenomenon 
could  be  observed,  a  halo  with  two  parhelions  ;  the  doctor  ob- 
served it,  and  took  its  exact  dimensions  ;  the  exterior  arc  was 
only  visible  for  about  thirty  degrees  each  side  of  the  horizontal 
diameter  ;  the  two  images  of  the  sun  were  remarkably  clear  ; 
the  colors  within  the  luminous  area  were,  going  toward  the  out- 
side, red,  yellow,  green,  faint  blue,  and  last  of  all  white,  gently 
fading  away,  without  any  sharp  line  of  termination. 


120  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  H ATT  ERAS. 

The  doctor  remembered  Thomas  Young's  ingenious  theory 
about  these  meteors ;  he  supposed  that  certain  clouds  composed 
of  prisms  of  ice  are  hanging  in  the  air ;  the  sun's  rays  falling  on 
these  prisms  are  refracted  at  angles  of  sixty  and  ninety  degrees. 
The  halos  can  only  be  formed  in  a  clear  sky.  The  doctor  thought 
this  an  ingenious  explanation. 

Sailors,  who  are  familiar  with  northern  seas,  consider  this 
phenomenon  a  forerunner  of  heavy  snow.  If  this  should  be  the 
case,  the  position  of  the  Forward  was  very  critical.  Hence 
Hatteras  resolved  to  push  on ;  during  the  rest  of  that  day  and 
the  next  night  he  took  no  rest,  but  examined  the  horizon  through 
his  glass,  entering  every  inlet,  and  losing  no  opportunity  to  get 
out  of  the  strait. 

But  in  the  morning  he  was  compelled  to  stop  before  the  im- 
penetrable ice.  The  doctor  joined  him  on  the  quarter-deck. 
Hatteras  led  him  clear  aft  where  they  could  talk  without  fear 
of  being  overheard. 

"  We  are  caught,"  said  Hatteras.  "  It  's  impossible  to  go 
on." 

"  Impossible  1 "    said  the  doctor. 

"  Impossible  !  All  the  powder  on  board  the  Forward  would 
not  open  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  us." 

"  What  are  we  to  do  1 "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  I  don't  know.     Curse  this  unlucky  year  !  " 

"  Well,  Captain,  if  we  must  go  into  winter-quarters,  we  '11  do  it. 
As  well  here  as  anywhere  else  !  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Hatteras  in  a  low  voice,  "but  we  ought  not 
to  be  going  into  winter-quarters,  especially  in  the  month  of  June. 
It  is  demoralizing,  and  bad  for  the  health.  The  spirits  of  the 
crew  are  soon  cast  down  during  this  long  rest  among  real  suffer- 
ings. So  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  winter  at  a  latitude  nearer 
the  Pole." 

"  Yes,  but,  unluckily,  Baffin's  Bay  was  closed." 

"  Any  one  else  would  have  found  it  open,"  cried  Hatteras ; 
"  that  American,  that  —  " 

•    "Come,    Hatteras,"    said    the   doctor,    purposely    interrupting 
him,  "  it 's  now  only  the  5th  of  June ;  we  should  not  despair ; 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  121 

a  path  may  open  before  u^  suddenly  ;  you  know  the  ice  often 
breaks  into  separate  pieces,  even  when  the  weather  is  calm,  as  if 
it  were  driven  apart  by  some  force  of  repulsion ;  at  any  moment- 
we  may  find  the  sea  free." 

"  Well,  if  that  happens,  we  shall  take  advantage  of  it.  It  is 
not  impossible  that  beyond  Bellot  Strait  we  might  get  north- 
ward through  Peel  Sound  or  MacClintock  Channel,  and  then  —  " 

"  Captain,"  said  James  Wall,  approaching,  '*the  ice  threatens 
to  tear  away  the  rudder." 

"  Well,"  answered  Hatteras,  "  never  mind ;  I  sha'  n't  unship  it ; 
I  want  to  be  ready  at  any  hour,  day  or  night.  Take  every  pre- 
caution, Mr.  Wall,  and  keep  the  ice  off;  but  don't  unship  it,  you 
understand." 

"But— "  began  Wall. 

"  I  don't  care  to  hear  any  remarks,  sir,"  said  Hatteras,  severely. 
"Go!" 

Wall  returned  to  his  post. 

"Ah  !  "  said  Hatteras,  angrily,  "  I  would  -give  five  years  of  my 
life  to  be  farther  north  !  I  don't  know  any  more  dangerous  place  ; 
and  besides,  we  are  so  near  the  magnetic  pole  that  the  compass 
is  of  no  use ;  the  needle  is  inactive,  or  always  shifting  its  direc- 
tion." 

"  I  confess,"  said  the  doctor,  "  that  it  is  not  plain  sailing  ;  but 
still,  those  who  undertook  it  were  prepared  for  such  dangers,  and 
there  is  no  need  to  be  surprised." 

"Ah,  Doctor  !  the  crew  has  changed  very  much,  and  you  have 
seen  that  the  ofiicers  have  begun  to  make  remarks.  The  high  pay 
offered  the  sailors  induced  them  to  ship  ;  but  they  have  their 
bad  side,  for  as  soon  as  they  are  off  they  are  anxious  to  get  back. 
Doctor,  I  have  no  encouragement  in  my  undertaking,  and  if  I 
fail,  it  won't  be  the  fault  of  such  or  such  a  sailor,  but  of  the  ill- 
will  of  certain  officers.     Ah,  they  '11  pay  dearly  for  it !  " 

"  You  are  exaggerating,  Hatteras." 

"  Not  at  all !  Do  you  fancy  the  crew  are  sorry  for  the  obsta- 
cles we  are  meeting^  On  the  contrary,  they  hope  I  shall  be 
compelled  to  abandon  my  plans.  So  they  do  not  murmur,  and 
when  the  Forward  is  headed  for  the  south,  it  will  be  the  same 


122  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

thing.  Fools  !  They  imagine  they^.^  are  returning  to  England ! 
But  when  I  'm  turned  towards  the  north,  you  will  see  a  differ- 
ence !  I  swear  solemnly  that  no  living  being  shall  make  me 
swerve  from  my  course  !  Give  me  a  passage,  an  opening  through 
which  my  brig  can  go,  and  I  shall  take  it,  if  I  have  to  leave 
half  her  sheathing  behind  !  " 

The  desires  of  the  captain  were  destined  to  be  satisfied  in  a 
measure.  As  the  doctor  had  foretold,  there  was  a  sudden  change 
in  the  evening;  under  some  influence  of  the  wind,  the  ice-fields 
separated  ;  the  Forward  pushed  on  boldly,  breaking  the  ice  with 
her  steel  prow;  all  the  night  they  advanced,  and  towards  six 
o'clock  they  were  clear  of  Bellot  Strait. 

But  great  was  Hatteras's  anger  at  finding  the  way  to  the  north 
closed  !  He  was  able  to  hide  his  despair ;  and  as  if  the  only  open 
■path  were  the  one  of  his  choice,  he  turned  the  Fqrward  towards 
Franklin  Sound.  Being  unable  to  go  up  Peel  Sound,  he  deter- 
mined to  go  around  Prince  of  Wales  Land,  to  reach  MacClintock 
Channel.  But  he  knew  that  Shandon  and  Wall  could  not  be 
deceived,  and  were  conscious  of  the  failure  of  his  hopes. 

Nothing  especial  happened  on  the  6th  of  June ;  snow  fell,  and 
the  prophecy  of  the  halo  came  true. 

For  thirty-six  hours  the  Forward  followed  the  sinuosities  of  the 
coast  of  Boothia,  without  reaching  Prince  of  Whales  Land.  Hat- 
teras  put  on  all  steam,  burning  his  coal  extravagantly ;  he  still 
intended  to  get  further  supplies  on  Beechey  Island ;  on  Thursday 
he  arrived  at  Franklin  Sound,  and  he  still  found  the  way  north- 
ward impassable. 

His  position  was  a  desperate  one  ;  he  could  not  return ;  the  ice 
pushed  him  onward,  and  he  saw  his  path  forever  closing  behind 
him,  as  if  there  were  no  open  sea  where  he  had  passed  but  an 
hour  before. 

Hence,  not  only  was  the  Forward  unable  to  go  toward  the 
north,  but  she  could  not  stop  for  a  moment  lest  she  should  be  im- 
prisoned, and  she  fled  before  the  ice  like  a  ship  before  a  storm. 

Friday,  June  7th,  she  arrived  near  the  coast  of  Boothia,  at  the 
entrance  of  James  Ross  Sound,  which  had  to  be  avoided  because 
its  only  exit  is  to  the  west,  close  to  the  shore  of  America. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE, 


123 


The  observations  taken  at  noon  showed  them  to  be  in  latitude 
70°  b'  11",  and  longitude  96°  W  45" ;  when  the  doctor  heard  this 
he  examined  his  chart,  and  found  that  they  were  at  the  magnetic 
pole,  at  the  very  point  where  James  Ross,  the  nephew  of  Sir 
John,  came  to  determine  its  situation. 

The  land  was  low  near  the  coast,  and  it  rose  only  about  sixty 
feet  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  from  the  sea. 

The  boiler  of  the  Forward  needed  cleaning;  the  captain  an- 
chored his  ship  to  a  field  of  ice,  and  gave  the  doctor  leave  to  go 
ashore  with  the  boatswain.  For  himself,  being  indifferent  to 
everything  outside  of  his  own  plans,  he  shut  himself  up  in  his 
cabin,  and  studied  the  chart  of  the  Pole. 

The  doctor  and  his  companion  easily  reached  land :  the  first- 
named  carried  a  compass  for  his  experiments ;  he  wanted  to  test 
the  work  of  James  Ross  ;  he  easily  made  out  the  mound  of  stones 
erected  by  him ;  he  ran  towards  it ;  ah  opening  in  the  cairn  let 
him  see  a  tin  box  in  which  James  Ross  had  placed  an  account  of 
his  discovery.  No  living  being  had  visited  this  lonely  spot  for 
thirty  years. 

At  this  place  a  needle 
suspended  as  delicately  as 
possible  assumed  a  nearly 
vertical  position  under  the 
magnetic  influence  ;  hence 
the  centre  of  attraction  was 
near,  if  not  immediately 
beneath,  the  needle. 

The  doctor  made  the 
experiment  with  all  care. 
But  if  James  Ross,  owing 
to  the  imperfection  of  his 
instruments,  found  a  decli- 
nation of  only  89°  50',  the 
real  magnetic  point  is  found 
within  a  miruite  of  this  spot.  Dr.  Clawbonny  was  more  for- 
tunate, and  at  a  little  distance  from  there  he  found  a  declination 
of  90°. 


124         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  H ATT  ERAS. 

"  This  is  exactly  the  magnetic  pole  of  the  earth  ! "  he  cried, 
stamping  on  the  ground. 

"Just  here]"  asked  Johnson. 

"  Precisely  here,  my  friend  ! " 

"  Well,  then,"  resumed  the  boatswain,  "  we  must  give  up  all 
the  stories  of  a  magnetic  mountain  or  large  mass." 

''Yes,  Johnson,"  answered  the  doctor,  laughing,  "those  are 
empty  hypotheses  !  As  you  see,  there  is  no  mountain  capable  of 
attracting  ships,  of  drawing  their  iron  from  them  anchor  after 
anchor,  bolt  after  bolt !  and  your  shoes  here  are  as  light  as  any- 
where in  the  world." 

"  But  how  do  you  explain  —  " 

"There  is  no  explanation,  Johnson;  we  are  not  wise  enough 
for  that.  But  what  is  mathematically  certain  is  that  the  mag- 
netic pole  is  at  this  very  spot ! " 

"  Ah,  Dr.  Clawbonny,  how  glad  the  captain  would  be  to  say  as 
much  of  the  North  Pole  !  "  .      ^ 

"  He  '11  say  it,  Johnson ;  he  '11  say  it !  " 

"  God  grant  it !  "  was  the  answer. 

The  doctor  and  his  companion  raised  a  cairn  at  the  spot  where 
they  tried  their  experiment,  and  the  signal  for  their  return  being 
made,  they  returned  to  the  ship  at  five  o'clock  of  the  evening. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE   PATE   OP   SIR  JOHN    PRANKLIN. 

The  Forward  succeeded,  though  not  without  difficulty,  in  getr 
ting  by  James  Ross  Sound,  by  frequent  use  of  the  ice-saws  and 
gunpowder ;  the  crew  was  very  much  fiitigued.  Fortunately  the 
temperature  was  agreeable,  and  even  thirty  degi-ees  above  what 
James  Ross  found  at  the  same  time  of  year.  The  thermometer 
marked  34°. 

Saturday  they  doubled  Cape  Felix  at  the  northern  end  of  King 
William's  Land,  one  of  the  smaller  islands  of  northern  seas. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


125 


At  that  time  the  crew  became  very  much  depressed ;  they 
gazed  wistfully  and  sadly  at  its  far-stretching  shores. 

In  fact,  they  were  gazing  at  King  William's  Land,  the  scene  of 
one  of  the  saddest  tragedies  of  modern  times !  Only  a  few  miles 
to  the  west  the  Erebus  and  Terror  were  lost. 

The  sai-lors  of  the  Forward  were  familiar  with  the  attempts 
made  to  find  Franklin,  and  the  result  they  had  obtained,  but 
they  did  not  know  all  the  sad  details.  Now,  w^hile  the  doctor 
was  following  on  his  chart  the  course  of  the  ship,  many  of  them. 
Bell,  Bolton,  and  Simpson,  drew  near  him  and  began  to  talk  with 
him.  Soon  the  others  followed  to  satisfy  their  curiosity ;  mean- 
while the  brig  was  advancing  rapidly,  and  the  bays,  capes,  and 
promontories  of  the  coast  passed  before  their  gaze  like  a  gigantic 
panorama. 


Hatteras  was  pacing  nervously  to  and  fro  on  the  quarter-deck ; 
the  doctor  found  himself  on  the  bridge,  surrounded  by  the  men 
of  the  crew ;  he  .readily  understood  the  interest  of  the  situation, 
and  the  impression  that  would  be  made  by  an  account  given 
under  those  circumstances,  hence  he  resumed  the  talk  he  had 
begun  with  Johnson. 

"  You  know,  my  friends,  how  Franklin  began  :  like  Cook  and 
Nelson,  he  was  first  a  cabin-boy;  after  spendhig  his  youth  in  long 

20 


126  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

sea-voyages,  he  made  up  his  mind,  in  1845,  to  seek  the  Northwest 
Passage  ;  he  commanded  the  Erebus  and  the  Terror,  two  stanch 
vessels,  which  had  visited  the  antarctic  seas  in  1840,  under  the 
command  of  James  Ross.  The  Erebus,  in  which  Frankhn  sailed, 
carried  a  crew  of  seventy  men,  all  told,  with  Fitz-James  as  cap- 
tain ;  Gore  and  Le  Vesconte,  lieutenants ;  Des  Vceux,  Sargent,  and 
Couch,  boatswains;  and  Stanley,  surgeon.  The  Terror  carried  sixty- 
eight  men.  Crozier  was  the  captain  ;  the  lieutenants  were  Little, 
Hodgson,  and  Irving ;  boatswains,  Horesby  and  Thomas ;  the  sur- 
geon, Peddie.  In  the  names  of  the  bays,  capes,  straits,  prom- 
ontories, channels,  and  islands  of  these  latitudes  you  find  memo- 
rials of  most  of  these  unlucky  men,  of  whom  not  one  has  ever  again 
seen  his  home  !  In  all  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  men  !  We 
know  that  the  last  of  Franklin's  letters  were  written  from  Disco 
Island,  and  dated  July  12,  1845.  He  said,  "I  hope  to  set  sail 
to-night  for  Lancaster  Sound."  What  followed  his  departure 
from  Disco  Bay  ?  The  captains  of  the  whalers,  the  Prince  of 
Wales  and  the  Enterprise,  saw  these  two  ships  for  the  last  time  in 
Melville  Bay,  and  nothing  more  was  heard  of  them.  Still  we  can 
follow  Franklin  in  his  course  westward  ;  he  went  through  Lan- 
caster and  Barrow  Sounds  and  reached  Beechey  Island,  where  he 
passed  the  winter  of  1 845  -  46." 

"  But  how  is  this  known  1 "  asked  Bell,  the  carpenter. 

"  By  three  tombs  which  the  Austin  expedition  found  there  in 
1850.  Three  of  Franklin's  sailors  had  been  buried  there:  and, 
moreover,  by  a  paper  found  by  Lieutenant  Hobson  of  the  Fox, 
dated  April  25,  1848.  We  know  also  that,  after  leaving  winter- 
quarters,  the  Erebus  and  Terror  ascended  Wellington  Channel  as 
far  as  latitude  77°  ;  but  instead  of  pushing  to  the  north,  which 
they  doubtless  found  impossible,  they  returned  towards  the 
south  —  " 

"  And  that  was  a.  fatal  mistake  ! "  uttered  a  grave  voice. 
"Safety  lay  to  the  north." 

Every  one  turned  round.  It  was  Hatteras,  who,  leaning  on 
the  rail  of  the  quarter-deck,  had  just  made  that  solemn  re- 
mark. 

"  Without  doubt,"  resumed  the  doctor,  "  Franklin  intended  to 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  127 

make  his  way  to  the  American  shore  ;  but  tempests  beset  him, 
and  September  12,  1846,  the  two  ships  were  caught  in  the  ice,  a 
few  miles  from  here,  to  the  northwest  of  Cape  FeUx ;  they  wore 
carried  to  the  north-northwest  of  Point  Victory ;  there,"  said  the 
doctor,  pointing  out  to  the  sea.  "  Now,"  he  added,  "  the  ships 
were  not  abandoned  till  April  22,  1848.  What  happened  during 
these  nineteen  months  1  What  did  these  poor  men  do  1  Doubt- 
less they  explored  the  surrounding  lands,  made  every  effort  to 
escape,  for  the  admiral  was  an  energetic  man  ;  and  if  he  did  not 
succeed  —  " 

"  It 's  because  his  men  betrayed  him,"  said  Hatteras  in  a  deep 
voice. 

The  sailors  did  not  dare  to  lift  their  eyes ;  these  words  made 
them  feel  abashed. 

"  To  be  brief,  this  paper,  of  which  I  spoke,  tells  us;  besides, 
that  Sir  John  Franklin  died,  worn  out  by  his  suflferings,  June 
11,  1847.  All  honor  to  his  memory  !  "  said  the  doctor,  removing 
his  hat. 

The  men  did  the  same  in  silence. 

"  What  became  of  these  poor  men,  deprived  of  their  leader, 
during  the  next  ten  months  1  They  remained  on  board  of  their 
ships,  and  it  was  not  till  April,  1848,  that  they  made  up  their 
mind  to  abandon  them  ;  one  hundred  and  five  men  survived  out 
of  the  hundred  and  thirty-eight.  Thirty-three  had  died  !  Then 
Captains  Crozier  and  Fitz-James  erected  a  cairn  at  Point  Victory, 
and  left  their  last  paper  there.  See,  my  friends,  we  are  passing 
by  that  point.  You  can  see  traces  of  tiie  cairn,  placed,  so  to 
speak,  at  the  farthest  point  reached  by  John  Ross  in  1831  ! 
There  is  Cape  Jane  Franklin  !  There  Point  Franklin  !  There 
Point  Le  Vesconte !  There  Erebus  Bay,  where  the  launch,  made 
of  pieces  of  one  of  the  ships,  was  found  on  a  sledge  !  There  were 
found  silver  spoons,  plenty  of  food,  chocolate,  tea,  and  religious 
books.  The  hundred  and  five  survivors,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Crozier,  set  out  for  Great  Fish  River.  How  far  did  they 
get  1  Did  they  reach  Hudson's  Bay  ]  Have  any  survived  1  What 
became  of  them  after  that  1  —  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  became  of  them,"  said  John  Hatteras  in 


128  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

an  energetic  voice.  "  Yes,  they  tried  to  reach  Hudson's  Bay,  and 
separated  into  several  parties.  They  took  the  road  to  the  south. 
In  1854  a  letter  from  Dr.  Rae  states  that  in  1850  the  Esquimaux 
had  met  in  King  William's  Land  a  detachment  of  forty  men,  chasing 
sea-cows,  travelling  on  the  ice,  dragging  a  boat  along  with  them, 
thin,  pale,  and  worn  out  with  suffering  and  fatigue.  Later,  they 
discovered  thirty  corpses  on  the  mainland  and  five  on  a  neigh- 
boring island,  some  half  buried,  others  left  without  burial ;  some 
lying  beneath  an  overturned  boat,  others  under  the  ruins  of  a 
tent;  here  lay  an  officer  with  his  glass  swung  around  his  shoulder, 
and  his  loaded  gun  near  him ;  farther  on  were  kettles  with  the 
remains  of  a  horrible  meal.  At  this  news,  the  Admiralty  urged 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  send  its  most  skilful  agents  to 
this  place.  They  descended  Black  Kiver  to  its  mouth.  They 
visited  Montreal  and  Maconochie  Islands,  and  Point  Ogle.  In 
vain  !  All  these  poor  fellows  had  died  of  miser}^  suffering,  and 
starvation,  after  trying  to  prolong  their  lives  by  having  recourse 
to  cannibalism.  That  is  what  became  of  them  along  their  way 
towards  the  south,  which  was  lined  with  their  mutilated  bodies. 
Well,  do  you  want  to  follow  their  path  ? " 

Hatteras's  ringing  voice,  passionate  gestures,  and  glowing  face 
produced  an  indescribable  eftect.  The  crew,  moved  by  the  sight 
of  these  ill-omened  lands,  cried  with  one  voice,  — 

"  To  the  north  !  to  the  north  !  " 

"  Well,  to  the  north  !  Safety  and  glory  await  us  there  at  the 
north  !  Heaven  is  declaring  for  us !  The  wind  is  changing !  The 
passage  is  free  !    Prepare  to  go  about  !  " 

The  sailors  hastened  to  their  places ;  the  ice-streams  grew 
slowly  free ;  the  Forward  went  about  rapidly,  and  ran  under  full 
steam  towards  MacClintock's  Channel. 

Hatteras  was  justified  in  counting  on  a  freer  sea ;  on  his  way 
he  retraced  the  probable  path  of  Franklin  ;  he  went  along  the 
eastern  side  of  Prince  of  Wales  Land,  which  is  clearly  defined, 
while  the  other  shore  is  still  unknown.  Evidently  the  clearing 
away  of  the  ice  towards  the  south  took  place  through  the  eastern 
strait,  for  it  appeared  perfectly  clear ;  so  the  Forward  was  able  to 
make  up  for  lost  time  ;  she  was  put  under  full  steam,  so  that  the 


All  these  poor  fellows  had  died  of  misery,  suffering,  and  starvation."  —  Page  128. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  129 

14th  they  passed  Osborne  Bay,  and  the  farthest  points  reached  by 
the  expeditions  of  1851.  There  was  still  a  great  deal  of  ice  about 
them,  but  there  was  every  indication  that  the  Forward  would 
have  clear  sailing-way  before  her. 


CHAPTER    XYIII. 

THE    WAY    NORTHWARD. 

The  crew  seemed  to  have  returned  to  their  habits  of  discipline 
and  obedience.  Their  duties  were  slight  and  infrequent,  so  that 
the}^  had  plenty  of  leisure.  The  temperature  never  fell  below  the 
freezing-point,  and  the  thaw  removed  the  greatest  obstacles  from 
their  path. 

Duke  had  made  friends  with  Dr.  Clawbonny.  They  got  on 
admirably  together.  But  as  in  friendship  one  friend  is  always 
sacrificed  to  the  other,  it  must  be  said  that  the  doctor  was  not 
the  other.  Duke  did  with  him  whatever  he  pleased.  The  doctor 
obeyed  him  as  a  dog  obeys  his  master.  Moreover,  Duke  con- 
ducted himself  very  amicably  with  most  of  the  officers  and  sail- 
ors ;  only,  instinctively  doubtless,  he  avoided  Shandon ;  he  had, 
too,  a  grudge  against  Pen  and  Foker ;  his  hatred  for  them  mani- 
fested itself  in  low  growls  when  they  came  near  him.  They,  for 
their  part,  did  not  dare  attack  the  captain's  dog,  ''  his  familiar 
spirit,"  as  Clifton  called  him. 

In  a  word,  the  crew  Jiad  taken  courage  again. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  James  Wall  one  day  to  Richard  Shan- 
don, "  that  the  men  took  the  captain's  words  for  earnest ;  they 
seem  to  be  sure  of  success." 

"  They  are  mistaken,"  answered  Shandon  ;  "  if  they  would  only 
reflect,  and  consider  our  condition,  they  would  see  we  are  simply 
going  from  one  imprudence  to  another." 

"  Still,"  resumed  Wall,  "  we  are  in  a  more  open  sea ;  we  are 
going  along  a  well-known  route  ;  don't  you  exaggerate  somewhat, 
Shandon  1 " 

"  Not  a  bit,  Wall ;  the  hate  and  jealousy,  if  you  please,  with 


130 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 


which  Hatteras  inspires  me,  don't  blind  my  eyes.  Say,  have  you 
seen  the  coal-bimkers  lately  % " 

''  No,"  answered  Wall. 

"  Well !  go  below,  and  you  '11  see  how  near  we  are  to  the  end 
of  our  supply.  By  right,  we  ought  to  be  going  under  sail, 
and  only  starting  our  engine  to  make  headway  against  currents 
or  contrary  winds ;  our  fuel  ought  to  be  burned  only  with  the 
strictest  economy,  for  who  can  say  where  and  for  how  long  we 


may  be  detained  1  But  Hatteras  is  pushed  by  this  mania  of  going 
forward,  of  reaching  the  inaccessible  Pole,  and  he  does  n't  care 
for  such  a  detail.  Whether  the  wind  is  fair  or  foul,  he  goes  on 
under  steam ;  and  if  he  goes  on  we  run  a  risk  of  being  very  much 
embarrassed,  if  not  lost." 

"  Is  that  so,  Shandon  1    That  is  serious  ! " 

"  You  are  right,  Wall,  it  is ;  not  only  would  the  engine  be  of 
IK)  use  to  us  if  we  got  into  a  tight  place,  but  what  are  we  to  do 
in  the  winter?  We  ought  to  take  some  precautions  against 
the  cold  in  a  country  where  the  mercurj^  often  freezes  in  the 
thermometer." 

*'  But  if  I  'm  not  mistaken,  Shandon,  the  captain  intends  get- 
ting a  new  supply  at  Beechey  Island ;  they  say  there  is  a  great 
quantity  there." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  131 

"  Can  any  one  choose  where  he  '11  go  in  these  seas,  "Wall  1  Can 
one  count  on  finding  such  or  such  a  channel  free  of  ice  1  And  if 
he  misses  Beechey  Island,  or  can't  reach  it,  what  is  to  become 
of  us  r' 

"  You  are  right,  Shandon ;  Hatteras  seems  to  me  unwise  j  but 
why  don't  you  say  something  of  this  sort  to  him  % " 

**  No,  Wall,"  answered  Shandon,  with  ill-disguised  bitterness, 
"  I  have  made  up  my  mind  not  to  say  a  word ;  I  am  not  respon- 
sible any  longer  for  the  ship ;  I  shall  await  events ;  if  I  receive 
any  commands,  I  obey,  and  I  don't  proclaim  my  opinions." 

"  Let  me  tell  you  you  are  wrong,  Shandon  ;  for  the  well-being 
of  all  is  at  stake,  and  the  captain's  imprudence  may  cost  us  all 
dear." 

"  And  if  I  were  to  speak,  Wall,  would  he  listen  to  me  % " 

Wall  did  not  dare  say  he  would. 

"  But,"  he  added,  "  he  would  perhaps  listen  to  remonstrances 
of  the  crew." 

"  The  crew,"  said  Shandon,  shrugging  his  shoulders ;  "  but,  my 
dear  Wall,  have  n't  you  noticed  that  they  care  for  everything  else 
more  than  for  their  safety  ?  They  know  they  're  getting  near  lat- 
itude 72°,  and  that  a  thousand  pounds  is  paid  for  every  degree 
of  latitude  beyond  which  is  reached." 

"You  are  right,  Shandon,"  answered  Wall,  "and  the  captain 
has  taken  the  surest  means  of  securing  his  men." 

"Without  doubt,"  answered  Shandon;  "for  the  present,  at 
least." 

"What  do  you  mean]" 

"  I  mean  that  all  will  go  very  well  in  the  absence  of  all  dan- 
gers and  fatigues,  in  an  open  sea ;  Hatteras  has  caught  them  by 
his  money ;  but  what  is  done  for  pay  is  ill  done.  But  once  let 
hardships,  dangers,  discomfort,  sickness,  melancholy,  and  fierce 
cold  stare  them  in  the  face,  —  and  we  are  flying  towards  them 
now,  —  and  you  will  see  whether  they  remember  the  pay  they  are 
to  get." 

"  So,  in  your  opinion,  Shandon,  Hatteras  will  fail  % " 

"  Exactly ;  he  will  fail.     In  such  an  enterprise,  there  should  be 

an  identity  of  interests  among  the  leaders,  a  sympathv  which  is 
21 


132  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

lacking  here.  Besides,  Hatteras  is  mad ;  his  whole  past  proves 
it !  But  we  shall  see  !  Circumstances  may  arise  in  which  the 
command  of  the  ship  will  have  to  be  given  to  a  less  foolhardy 
captain  —  " 

"Still,"  said  Wall,  shaking  his  head  doubtfully,  "Hatteras  will 
always  have  on  his  side  —  " 

"  He  will  have,"  interrupted  Shandon,  —  "he  will  have  that  Dr. 
Clawbonny,  who  only  cares  to  study  -,  Johnson,  who  is  a  slave  to 
discipline,  and  who  never  takes  the  trouble  to  reason ;  perhaps 
one  or  two  besides,  like  Bell,  the  carpenter,  —  four  at  the  most,  and 
there  are  eighteen  on  board!  No,  Wall,  Hatteras  has  not  the 
confidence  of  the  crew ;  he  knows  it  well,  and  he  tries  to  make  up 
for  it  by  bribery ;  he  made  a  good  use  of  the  account  of  Frank- 
lin's catastrophe  to  create  a  different  feeling  in  their  excited 
minds;  but  that  won't  last,  I  tell  you;  and  if  he  don't  reach 
Beechey  Island,  he  is  lost ! " 

"If  the  crew  suspected  —  " 

"I  beg  of  you,"  said  Shandon,  quickly,  "not  to  say  a  word 
about  this  to  the  crew ;  they  '11  find  it  out  for  themselves.  Now, 
at  any  rate,  it  is  well  to  go  on  towards  the  north.  But  who  can 
say  whether  what  Hatteras  takes  for  a  step  towards  the  Pole  may 
not  be  really  retracing  our  steps?  At  the  end  of  MacClintock 
Channel  is  Melville  Bay,  and  thence  open  the  straits  which  lead 
back  to  Baffin's  Bay.  Hatteras  had  better  take  care  !  The  way 
west  is  easier  than  the  way  north." 

From  these  words  Shandon's  state  of  mind  may  be  judged,  and 
how  justified  the  captain  was  in  suspecting  a  treacherous  dispo- 
sition in  him. 

Shandon,  moreover,  was  right  when  he  ascribed  the  present 
satisfaction  of  the  crew  to  the  prospect  they  had  of  passing  lati- 
tude 72°.  This  greed  of  gold  seized  the  least  audacious.  Clifton 
had  made  out  every  one's  share  with  great  exactness.  Leaving 
out  the  captain  and  the  doctor,  who  could  not  be  admitted  to  the 
division,  there  were  sixteen  men  on  board  the  Forward.  The 
amount  was  a  thousand  pounds,  that  was  .£72  10s.  for  each  man, 
for  every  degree.  If  they  should  ever  reach  the  Pole  the  eighteen 
degrees  to  be  crossed  would  give  each  one  a  sum  of  £1,125,  a  fair 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  133 

fortune.  This  whim  would  cost  the  captain  £18,000;  but  he 
was  rich  enough  to  pay  for  such  a  costly  trip  to  the  Pole. 

These  calculations  aroused  wonderfully  the  avarice  of  the  crew, 
as  can  be  readily  believed,  and  more  than  one  longed  to  pass  lat- 
itude 72°,  who,  a  fortnight  before,  rejoiced  to  be  sailing  south- 
ward. 

The  Forward  sailed  by  Cape  Al worth  June  16th.  Mount  Raw- 
linson  raised  its  white  peaks  towards  the  sky  -,  the  snow  and  mist 
exaggerated  its  size  so  that  it  appeared  colossal ;  the  temperature 
remained  a  few  degrees  above  the  freezing-point ;  cascades  and 
cataracts  appeared  on  the  sides  of  the  mountain  ;  avalanches  kept 
falling  with  a  roar  like  that  of  artillery.  The  long  stretches  of 
glaciers  made  a  loud  echo.  The  contrast  between  this  wintry 
scene  and  the  thaw  made  a  wonderful  sight.  The  brig  sailed  along 
very  near  the  coast;  they  were  able  to  see  on  some  sheltered 
rocks  a  few  bushes  bearing  modest  little  roses,  some  reddish 
moss,  and  a  budding  dwarf  willow  barely  rising  above  the 
ground. 

At  last,  June  19th,  in  latitude  72°,  they  doubled  Point  Minto, 
which  forms  one  of  the  extremities  of  Ommanney  Bay ;  the  brig 
entered  Melville  Bay,  called  "  the  Sea  of  Money  "  by  Bolton ;  this 
good-natured  fellow  used  to  be  always  jesting  on  this  subject, 
much  to  Clawbonny's  amusement. 

The  obstacles  to  their  course  were  but  few,  for  June  23d,  in  the 
teeth  of  a  strong  northeasterly  breeze,  they  passed  latitude  74°. 
This  was  at  the  middle  of  Melville  Bay,  one  of  the  largest  seas  of 
this  region.  It  was  first  crossed  by  Captain  Parry,  in  his  great 
expedition  of  1819,  and  there  it  was  that  his  crew  won  the  £5,000 
promised  by  act  of  Parliament. 

Clifton  contented  himself  with  remarking  that  there  were  two 
degrees  between  latitude  72°  and  latitude  74°  :  that  was  £125 
to  his  credit.  But  they  told  him  that  a  fortune  did  not  amount 
to  much  up  there,  and  that  a  man  could  be  called  rich  only  when 
he  could  have  a  chance  to  drink  to  his  wealth ;  it  seemed  better 
to  wait  for  the  moment  when  they  could  meet  at  some  tavern  in 
Liverpool  before  rejoicing  and  rubbing  their  hands. 


134  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

A   WHALE   IN    SIGHT. 

Melville  Bay,  although  perfectly  Duvigable,  was  not  wholly 
free  of  ice ;  immense  ice-fields  could  be  seen  stretching  to  the 
horizon ;  here  and  there  appeared  a  few  icebergs,  but  they  stood 
motionless  as  if  anchored  in  the  ice.  The  Forward  went  under 
full  steam  through  broad  passes  where  she  had  plenty  of  sailing- 
room.  The  wind  shifted  frequently  from  one  point  of  the  com- 
pass to  another. 

The  variabihty  of  the  wind  in  the  arctic  seas  is  a  remarkable 
fact,  and  very  often  only  a  few  minutes  intervene  between  a  calm 
and  a  frightful  tempest.  This  was  Hatteras's  experience  on  the 
23d  of  June,  in  the  middle  of  this  huge  bay. 

The  steadiest  winds  blow  generally  from  the  ice  to  the  open 
sea,  and  are  very  cold.  On  that  day  the  thermometer  fell  several 
degrees ;  the  wind  shifted  to  the  southward,  and  the  heavy 
gusts,  having  passed  over  the  ice,  discharged  themselves  of  their 
dampness  under  the  form  of  a  thick  snow.  Hatteras  immediately 
ordered  the  sails  which  were  aiding  the  engine  to  be  reefed;  but 
before  this  could  be  done  his  main-topsail  was  carried  away. 

Hatteras  gave  his  orders  Tv^h  the  utmost  coolness,  and  did  not 
leave  the  deck  during  the  storm ;  he  was  obliged  to  run  before 
the  gale.  The  wind  raised  very  heavy  waves  which  hurled  about 
pieces  of  ice  of  every  shape,  torn  from  the  neighboring  ice-fields ; 
the  brig  was  tossed  about  like  a  child's  toy,  and  ice  was  dashed 
against  its  hull ;  at  one  moment  it  rose  perpendicularly  to  the  top 
of  a  mountain  of  water ;  its  steel  prow  shone  like  molten  metal ; 
then  it  sank  into  an  abyss,  sending  forth  great  whirls  of  smoke, 
while  the  screw  revolved  out  the  water  with  a  fearful  clatter. 
Rain  and  snow  fell  in  torrents. 

The  doctor  could  not  miss  such  a  chance  to  get  wet  to  the 
skin;    he  remained  on  deck,  gazing  at  the  storm  with  all  the 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  TEE  NORTH  POLE.  135 

admiration  such  a  spectacle  cannot  fail  to  draw  forth.  One 
standing  next  to  him  could  not  have  heard  his  voice ;  so  he  said 
nothing,  but  looked,  and  soon  he  saw  a  singular  phenomenon,  one 
peculiar  to  the  northern  seas. 

The  tempest  was  confined  to  a  small  space  of  about  three  or  four 
miles ;  in  fact,  the  wind  loses  much  of  its  force  in  passing  over 
the  ice,  and  cannot  carry  its  violence  very  far;  every  now  and 
then  the  doctor  would  see,  through  some  rift  in  the  storm,  a  clear 
sky  and  a  quiet  sea  beyond  the  ice-fields ;  hence  the  Forward  had 
only  to  make  her  way  through  the  passes  to  find  smooth  sailing ; 
but  she  ran  a  risk  of  being  dashed  against  the  moving  masses 
which  obeyed  the  motion  of  the  waves.  Notwithstanding,  Hat- 
teras  succeeded  in  a  few  hours  in  carrying  his  vessel  into  smooth 
water,  while  the  violence  of  the  storm,  now  at  its  worst  at  the 
horizon,  was  dying  away  within  a  few  cable-lengths  from  the 
Forivard. 

Melville  Bay  then  looked  very  different  ;  by  the  influence 
of  the  winds  and  waves  a  large  number  of  icebergs  had  been 
detached  from  the  shores  and  were  now  floating  northward, 
continually  crashing  against  one  another.  They  could  be 
counted  by  hundreds ;  but  the  bay  is  very  broad,  and  the  brig 
avoided  them  without  difficulty.  The  sight  of  these  floating 
masses,  which  seemed  to  be  racing  together,  was  indeed  mag- 
nificent. 

The  doctor  was  wild  with  enthusiasm  about  it,  when  Simpson, 
the  harpooner,  came  up  to  him  and  asked  him  to  notice  the  chan- 
ging tints  of  the  sea,  which  varied  from  deep  blue  to  olive  green ; 
long  bands  ran  from  north  to  south  with  edges  so  sharply  cut 
that  the  line  of  division  could  be  seen  as  far  as  the  horizon. 
Sometimes  a  transparent  sheet  would  stretch  out  from  an  opaque 
one. 

"Well,  Dr.  Clawbonny,  what  do  you  think  of  thaf?"  said 
Simpson. 

"I  agree,  my  friend,  with  what  Scoresby  said  about  these 
differently  colored  waters,"  answered  the  doctor,  "namely,  that 
the  blue  water  does  not  contain  the  millions  of  animalcules 
and  medusse  which  the  green  water  contains;   he  made  a  great 


136         ^^^  ADVENTURES  OP  CAPTAIN  BATTEUAS. 


many  experiments  to  test  it,   and  I  am   ready  to  agree   with 
him." 

"  0,  but  there  's  something  else  it  shows  !  " 
"  What  is  that  r' 

"  Well,  if  the  Forward  were  only  a  whaler,  I  believe  we  should 
have  some  sport." 

"But,"  answered  the  doctor,  "I 
don't  see  any  whales." 

"We  shall  very  soon,  though,  I 
promise  you.  It 's  great  luck  for  a 
whaler  to  see  those  green  patches  in 
these  latitudes." 

"  Why  so  ? "  asked  the  doctor,  whose 
curiosity  was  aroused  by  these  remarks 
of  a  man  who  had  had  experience  in 
what  he  was  talking  about. 

"Because,"  answered  Simpson,  "it 
is  in  that  green  water  that  most  of  the 
whales  are  caught." 

"  What  is  the  reason,  Simpson  1 " 
"Because  they  get  more  food  there." 
"  You  are  sure  of  that  % " 

"  0,  I  have  seen  it  a  hundred  times  in  Baffin's  Bay  !    I  don't  see 
why  the  same  should  n't  be  the  case  in  Melville  Bay." 
"  You  must  be  right,  Simpson." 

"  And  see,"  Simpson  continued  as  he  leaned  over  the  rail,  — 
"see  there.  Doctor." 

"  One  would  say  it  was  the  track  of  a  ship." 
"  Well,"  said  Simpson,  "  it 's  an  oily  substance  that  the  whale 
leaves  behind  it.     Really,  the  whale  itself  can't  be  far  off." 

In  fact,  the  atmosphere  was  filled  with  a  strong  fishy  smell. 
The  doctor  began  to  examine  the  surface  of  the  sea,  and  the  har- 
pooner's  prediction  was  soon  verified.  Foker  was  heard  shouting 
from  aloft,  — 

"  A  whale  to  leeward  ! " 

All  turned  their  eyes  in  that  direction ;  a  low  spout  was  seen 
rising  from  the  sea  about  a  mile  from  the  brig. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


137 


"  There  she  spouts  !  "  shouted  Simpson,  whose  experienced  eye 
soon  detected  it. 

"  It 's  gone,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  We  could  soon  find  it  again,  if  it  were  necessary,"  said  Simp- 
son, regretfully. 

But  to  his  great 
surprise,  although 
no  one  had  dared 
to  ask  it,  Hatteras 
gave  the  order  to 
lower  and  man  the 
whale-boat ;  he  was 
glad  to  give  the 
men  some  distrac- 
tion, and  also  to  get 
a  few  barrels  of  oil. 
They  heard  the  or- 
der with  great  satisfaction. 

Four  sailors  took  their  places  in  the  whale-boat ;  Johnson  took 
the  helm;  Simpson  stood  in  the  bow,  harpoon  in  hand.  The 
doctor  insisted  on  joining  the  party.  The  sea  was  quite  smooth. 
The  whale-boat  went  very  fast,  and  in  about  ten  minutes  she  was 
a  mile  from  the  brig. 

The  whale,  having  taken  another  breath,  had  dived  again ;  but 
soon  it  came  up  and  projected  fifteen  feet  into  the  air  that  com- 
bination of  gases  and  mucous  fluid  which  escapes  from  its  vent- 
holes. 

"  There,  there  ! "  cried  Simpson,  pointing  to  a  place  about  eight 
hundred  yards  from  the  boat. 

They  approached  it  rapidly ;  and  the  brig,  having  also  seen  it, 
drew  near  slowly. 

The  huge  monster  kept  appearing  above  the  waves,  showing  its 
black  back,  which  resembled  a  great  rock  in  the  sea;  a  whale 
never  swims  rapidly  unless  pursued,  and  this  one  was  letting 
itself  be  rocked  by  the  waves. 

The  hunters  approached  in  silence,  choosing  the  green  water, 
which  was  so  opaque  as  to  prevent  the  whale  from  seeing  them. 


138         ^^^  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERA8. 

it  is  always  exciting  to  watch  a  frail  b^at  attacking  one  of  these 
monsters ;  this  one  was  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long, 
and  often  between  latitude  72°  and  80°  whales  are  found  more 
than  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  long ;  ancient  writers  have 
often  spoken  of  some  longer  than  seven  hundred  feet,  but  they 
are  imaginary  animals. 

Soon  the  boat  was  very  near  the  whale.  Simpson  made  a  sign, 
the  men  stopped  rowing,  and,  brandishing  his  harpoon,  he  hurled  it 
skilfully ;  this,  with  sharp  barbs,  sank  into  the  thick  layers  of  fat. 
The  wounded  whale  dived  rapidly.  At  once  the  four  oars  were 
unshipped ;  the  rope  which  was  attached  to  the  harpoon  ran  out 
rapidly,  and  the  boat  was  dragged  along  while  Johnson  steered  it 
skilfully. 

The  whale  swam  away  from  the  brig  and  hastened  towards  the 
moving  icebergs ;  for  half  an  hour  it  went  on  in  this  way ;  the 
cord  had  to  be  kept  wet  to  prevent  its  taking  fire  from  friction. 
When  the  animal  seemed  to  go  more  slowly,  the  rope  was  dragged 
back  and  carefully  coiled ;  the  whale  rose  again  to  the  surface, 
lashing  violently  with  its  tail  j  huge  spouts  of  water  were  dashed 
up  by  it  and  fell  in  torrents  on  the  boat,  which  now  approached 
rapidly ;  Simpson  had  taken  a  long  lance  and  was  prepared  to 
meet  the  whale  face  to  face. 

But  it  plunged  rapidly  into  a  pass  between  two  icebergs.  Fur- 
ther pursuit  seemed  dangerous. 

"  The  devil ! "  said  Johnson. 

"Forward,  forward,  my  friends,"  shouted  Simpson,  eager  for 
the  chase;  "the  whale  is  ours." 

"  But  we  can't  follow  it  among  the  icebergs,"  answered  John- 
son, turning  the  boat  away. 
'     "  Yes,  yes  !"  cried  Simpson. 

"  No,  no  ! "  said  some  of  the  sailors. 

"  Yes  !  "  cried  others. 

During  this  discussion  the  whale  had  got  between  two  icebergs 
which  the  wind  and  waves  were  driving  together. 

The  whale-boat  was  in  ganger  of  being  dragged  into  this  dan- 
gerous pass,  when  Johnson  sprang  forward,  axe  in  hand,  and  out 
the  line. 


"The  whale  swam  away  from  the  brig  and  hastened  towards  the  moving  ice- 
bergs." —  Page  138. 


22 


TSE  EKGLlSIt  AT  THE  KORTH  POLE.  139 

It  was  time ;  the  two  icebergs  met  with  irresistible  force, 
crushing  the  whale  between  them. 

"  Lost !  "  cried  Simpson. 

"  Saved  !  "  said  Johnson. 

"Upon  my  word,"  said  the  doctor,  who  had  not  flinched,  "that 
was  well  worth  seeing  !  " 

The  crushing  power  of  these  mountains  is  enormous.  The 
whale  was  the  victim  of  an  accident  that  is  very  frequent  in  these 
waters.  Scoresby  tells  us  that  in  the  course  of  a  single  summer 
thirty  whalers  have  been  lost  in  this  way  in  Baffin's  Bay ;  he  saw 
a  three-master  crushed  in  one  minute  between  two  walls  of  ice, 
which  drew  together  with  fearful  rapidity  and  sank  the  ship  with 
all  on  board.  Two  other  ships  he  himself  saw  cut  through,  as  if 
V)y  a  long  lance,  by  huge  pieces  of  ice  more  than  a  hundred  feet 
long. 

A  few  moments  later  the  whale-boat  returned  to  the  brig,  and 
was  hauled  up  to  its  usual  place  on  deck. 

"  That 's  a  lesson,"  said  Shandon,  aloud,  "  for  those  who  are 
foolhardy  enough  to  venture  into  the  passes ! " 


CHAPTER    XX. 

BEECHEY   ISLAND. 

June  25th  the  Forward  sighted  Cape  Dundas,  at  the  north- 
west extremity  of  Prince  of  Wales  Land.  There  they  found  more 
serious  difficulties  amid  thicker  ice.  The  channel  here  grows  nar- 
rower, and  the  line  of  Crozier,  Young,  Day,  and  Lowther  Islands 
ranged  in  a  line,  like  forts  in  a  harbor,  drive  the  ice-streams 
nearer  together.  What  would  otherwise  have  taken  the  brig  a 
day  now  detained  her  from  June  25th  to  the  end  of  the  month ; 
she  was  continually  obliged  to  stop,  to  retreat,  and  to  wait 
for  a  favorable  chance  to  reach  Beechey  Island.  Meanwhile  a 
great  deal  of  coal  was  consumed;   though  during  the  frequent 


140         THE  ADVENTURES  OP  G AMAIN  BATTER  AS. 

halts  only  small  fires  were  kept  burning,  sufficient  to  keep  steam 
up  day  and  night. 

Hatteras  knew  as  well  as  Shandon  the  reduced  state  of  their 
supply;  but  feeling  sure  that  he  would  find  fuel  at  Beechey 
Island,  he  did  not  wish  to  lose  a  minute  for  the  sake  of  economy ; 
he  had  been  very  much  delayed  by  running  south ;  and,  although 
he  had  taken  the  precaution  of  leaving  England  in  April,  he  now 
found  himself  no  farther  advanced  than  previous  expeditions  had 
been  at  that  time  of  year. 

The  30th  they  passed  Cape  Walker  at  the  northeast  extremity 
of  Prince  of  Wales  Land ;  this  is  the  farthest  point  seen  by  Ken- 
nedy and  Bellot,  May  3d,  1852,  after  an  expedition  across  North 
Somerset.  In  1851,  Captain  Ommaney  of  the  Austin  expedition 
had  been  fortunate  enough  to  get  fresh  supplies  there  for  his 
detachment. 


This  cape,  which  is  very  lofty,  is  remarkable  for  its  reddish- 
brown  color ;  in  clear  weather  one  can  see  as  far  as  the  entrance 
of  Wellington  Channel.  Towards  evening  they  saw  Cape  Bellot, 
separated  from  Cape  Walker  by  MacLeon's  Bay.  Cape  Bellot 
was  so  named  in  presence  of  that  young  French  officer  to  whom 
the  English  expedition  gave  three  cheers.     At  this  place  the  coast 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  141 

consists  of  a  yellowish  limestone,  very  rough  in  appearance;  it 
is  protected  by  huge  masses  of  ice  which  the  north -wind  col- 
lects there  in  the  most  imposing  way.  It  was  soon  no  longer 
to  be  seen  from  the  Forward^s  deck,  as  she  was  making  her 
way  amid  the  loose  ice  towards  Beechey  Island  through  Barrow 
Strait. 

Hatteras,  having  resolved  to  go  on  in  a  straight  line,  in  order 
not  to  be  carried  past  the  island,  hardly  left  the  deck  during  the 
subsequent  days ;  he  would  go  aloft  to  the  cross-trees  in  order  to 
pick  out  the  most  favorable  path  for  the  brig.  All  that  skill,  cool- 
ness, boldness,  and  even  maritime  genius  could  do,  was  done  by 
him  while  sailing  through  the  strait.  It  is  true  that  fortune  did 
not  favor  him,  for  at  that  season  he  ought  to  have  found  the  sea 
nearly  open.  But  by  dint  of  sparing  neither  steam,  his  men,  nor 
himself,  he  succeeded  in  his  aim. 

July  3d,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  ice-master  saw 
land  to  the  north ;  Hatteras  soon  made  it  out  as  Beechey  Island, 
the  general  rendezvous  for  arctic  explorers.  Almost  all  the  ships 
which  sail  in  these  latitudes  touch  here.  Here  Franklin  passed 
his  first  winter  before  advancing  into  Wellington  Channel. 
Here  Creswell,  MacClure's  lieutenant,  after  a  march  of  four  hun- 
dred and  sixty  miles  on  the  ice,  rejoined  the  Phcenix  and  returned 
to  England.  The  last  ship  which  anchored  at  Beechey  Island 
before  the  Forward  was  the  Fox ;  MacClintock  took  in  supplies 
there,  August  11,  1855,  and  repaired  the  dwellings  and  store- 
houses ;  that  was  but  a  short  time  previous.  Hatteras  knew  all 
these  details. 

The  boatswain's  heart  beat  strongly  at  the  sight  of  this  island ; 
when  he  had  last  seen  it  he  had  been  quartermaster  on  the  Phce- 
nix ;  Hatteras  asked  him  about  the  coast,  the  place  for  anchor- 
ing, the  possible  change  of  the  bottom.  The  weather  was  per- 
fect; the  thermometer  marked  57°. 

"Well,  Johnson,"  said  the  captain,  "do  you  recognize  this 
place  % " 

"Yes,  Captain,  it  's  Beechey  Island!  Only  we  ought  to 
bear  a  little  farther  north ;  the  coast  is  more  easily  approached 
there." 


142  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEEAS. 

"  But  the  buildings,  the  stores  1 "  said  Hatteras. 

"  0,  you  can't  see  them  till  you  get  ashore ;  they  are  hidden 
behind  those  hillocks  you  see  there  ! " 

"  And  did  you  carry  large  supplies  there  1 " 

"Yes,  they  were  large.  The  Admiralty  sent  us  here  in 
1853,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Inglefield,  with  the 
steamer  Phcenix  and  a  transport,  the  Breadalhane,  loaded 
with  supplies;  we  carried  enough  to  revictual  a  whole  expedi- 
tion." 

"  But  did  not  the  commander  of  the  Fox  take  a  great  deal 
away  in  1855  T'  said  Hatteras. 

"0,  don't  be  anxious,  Captain!"  answered  Johnson;  "there 
will  be  enough  left  for  you ;  the  cold  keeps  everything  wonder- 
fully, and  we  shall  find  everything  as  fresh  and  in  as  good  condi- 
tion as  on  the  first  day." 

"  I  'm  not  so  anxious  about  the  provisions,"  answered  Hatteras ; 
"I  have  enough  for  several  years;  what  I  stand  in  need  of  is 
coal." 

"  Well,  Captain,  we  left  more  than  a  thousand  tons  there ;  so 
you  can  feel  easy  about  that." 

"  Let  us  stand  nearer,"  resumed  Hatteras,  who,  glass  in  hand, 
kept  examining  the  shore. 

"  You  see  that  point,"  said  Johnson ;  "  when  we  've  doubled  it, 
we  shall  be  near  our  anchorage.  Yes,  it 's  from  there  we  started 
for  England  with  Lieutenant  Creswell  and  twelve  sick  men  of  the 
Investigator.  But  if  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  be  of  service  to 
Captain  MacClure's  lieutenant,  Bellot,  the  officer  who  accompa- 
nied us  on  the  Phcenix,  never  saw  his  home  again !  Ah,  that 's 
a  sad  memory !  But,  Captain,  I  think  it 's  here  we  ought  to 
anchor." 

"  Very  well,"  answered  Hatteras. 

And  he  gave  the  proper  orders.  The  Forward  lay  in  a  little 
harbor  sheltered  from  the  north,  east,  and  south  winds,  about  a 
cable-length  from  the  shore. 

"Mr.  Wall,"  said  Hatteras,  "you  will  lower  the  launch  and 
send  six  men  to  bring  coal  aboard." 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  WalL 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  I43 

"  I  am  going  ashore  in  the  gig  with  the  doctor  and  the  boat- 
swain ;  Mr.  Shandon,  will  you  go  with  us  1 " 

*'  At  your  orders,"  answered  Shandon. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  doctor,  with  gun  and  baskets  for  any 
specimens  he  might  find,  took  his  place  in  the  gig  with  his  com- 
panions; ten  minutes  later  they  stepped  out  on  a  low,  rocky 
shore. 

"Lead  the  way,  Johnson,"  said  Hatteras;  "do  you  remem- 
ber itr' 

"  Perfectly,  Captain ;  only  here  is  a  monument  "which  I  did  not 
expect  to  find  here." 

"  That,"  shouted  the  doctor,  "  I  know  what  it  is ;  let 's  go  look 
at  it ;  it  will  tell  us  of  itself  why  it  was  put  here." 

The  four  men  went  up  to  it,  and  the  doctor,  baring  his  head, 
said,  — 

"This,  my  friends,  is  a  monument  raised  to  the  memory  of 
Franklin  and  his  companions." 


In  fact,  Lady  Franklin  having,  in  1855,  sent  a  tablet  of  black 
marble  to  Dr.  Kane,  gave  another  in  1858  to  MacClintock  to  be 
placed  on  Beechey  Island.  MacClintock  discharged  his  duty,  and 
placed  this  tablet  near  a  funeral  pile  raised  to  the  memory  of  Bel- 
lot  by  Sir  John  Barrow. 


144  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

This  tablet  bore  the  following  inscription  ;  — 

TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

FRANKLIN,    CROZIER,    FITZ-JAMES, 

AND  ALL  THEIR  GALLANT  BROTHER  OFFICERS  AND  FAITHFUL  COMPANIONS 

Who  have  suffered  and  perished 

in  the  cause  of  science  and  the  service  of  their  country. 

THIS    TABLET 

Is  erected  near  the  spot  where  they  passed  their  first  arctic  Winter, 

and  whence  they  issued  forth  to  conquer  difficulties  or 

TO    DIE. 

It  commemorates  the  grief  of  their  Admiring  Countrymen  and  Friends, 

and  the  anguish,  subdued  by  Faith, 

of  her  who  has  lost,  in  the  heroic  Leader  of  the  Expedition,  the  Most  Devoted 

and  Affectionate  of  Husbands, 


**  And  so  he  bringeth  them  unto  the  Haven  where  they  would  he.** 
1855. 

This  stone,  on  a  lonely  shore  of  these  remote  regions,  touched 
every  one's  heart;  the  doctor  felt  the  tears  rising  in  his  eyes. 
On  the  very  spot  whence  Franklin  and  his  men  sailed,  full  of  hope 
and  strength,  there  was  now  merely  a  slab  of  marble  to  commem- 
orate them  ;^and  in  spite  of  this  solemn  warning  of  fate,  the  For- 
ward was  about  to  follow  the  path  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror. 

Hatteras  was  the  first  to  rouse  himself;  he  ascended  quickly  a 
rather  high  hillock,  which  was  almost  entirely  bare  of  snow. 

"  Captain,"  said  Johnson,  following  him,  "  from  there  we  ought 
to  see  the  stores." 

Shandon  and  the  doctor  joined  them  just  as  they  reached  the 
top  of  the  hill. 

But  their  eyes  saw  nothing  but  large  plains  with  no  trace  of  a 
building. 

"  This  is  very  strange,"  said  the  boatswain. 

"  Well,  these  stores  % "  said  Hatteras,  quickly. 

"  I  don't  know,  —  I  don't  see  —  "  stammered  Johnson. 

"  You  must  have  mistaken  the  path,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  Still  it  seems  to  me,"  resumed  Johnson  after  a  moment's  re- 
flection, "  that  at  this  very  spot  —  " 

"  Well,"  said  Hatteras,  impatiently,  "  where  shall  we  go  % " 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  145 

"Let's  go  down  again,"  said  the  boatswain,  **for  it's  possible 
I  've  lost  ray  way !  In  seven  years  I  may  have  forgotten  the 
place." 

"  Especially,"  said  the  doctor,  "  when  the  country  is  so  monot- 
onous." 

"  And  yet  —  "  muttered  Johnson. 

Shandon  said  not  a  word.  After  walking  a  few  minutes,  John- 
son stopped. 

''  No,"  he  said,  "  I  'm  not  mistaken." 

"  Well,"  said  Hatteras,  looking  around. 

"  What  makes  you  say  so,  Johnson  1 "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  Do  you  see  this  little  rise  in  the  earth  % "  asked  the  boatswain, 
pointing  downwards  to  a  mound  in  which  three  elevations  could 
be  clearly  seen. 

"What  does  that  mean?"  asked  the  doctor. 

"  There,"  answered  Johnson,  "  are  the  three  tombs  of  Frank- 
lin's sailors.  I  'm  sure  of  it !  I  'm  not  mistaken,  and  the  stores 
must  be  within  a  hundred  paces  of  us,  and  if  they  're  not  there,  — 
it 's  because  —  " 

He  durst  not  finish  his  sentence;  Hatteras  ran  forward,  and 
terrible  despair  seized  him.  There  ought  to  stand  those  much- 
needed  storehouses,  with  supplies  of  all  sorts  on  which  he  had 
been  counting;  but  ruin,  pillage,  and  destruction  had  passed  over 
that  place  where  civilized  hands  had  accumulated  resources  for 
battered  sailors.  Who  had  committed  these  depredations  1  Wild 
animals,  wolves,  foxes,  bears  1  No,  for  they  would  have  destroyed 
only  the  provisions ;  and  there  was  left  no  shred  of  a  tent,  not  a 
piece  of  wood,  not  a  scrap  of  iron,  no  bit  of  any  metal,  nor  —  what 
was  more  serious  for  the  men  of  the  Forward  —  a  single  lump  of 
coal. 

Evidently  the  Esquimaux,  who  have  often  had  much  to  do 
with  European  ships,  had  finally  learned  the  value  of  these  ob- 
jects ;  since  the  visit  of  the  Fox  they  had  come  frequently  to  this 
great  storehouse,  and  liad  pillaged  incessantly,  with  the  intention 
of  leaving  no  trace  of  what  had  been  there ;  and  now  a  long  drift 
of  half-melted  snow  covered  the  ground. 

Hatteras  was  baffled.     The  doctor  gazed  and  shook  his  head. 
23 


146 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 


Shandon  said  nothing,  but   an   attentive  observer  would  have 
noticed  a  wicked  smile  about  his  lips. 

At  this  moment  the  men  sent  by  Wall  arrived.  They  took 
it  all  in  at  a  glance.  Shandon  went  up  to  the  captain  and 
said,  — 

*'  Mr.  Hatteras,  we  need  not  despair ;  fortunately  we  are  near 
the  entrance  to  Barrow  Strait,  which  will  carry  us  back  to  Baffin's 
Bay." 

"  Mr.  Shandon,"  answered  Hatteras,  "  we  are  fortunately  near 
the  entrance  of  Wellington  Channel,  and  it  will  lead  us  to  the 
north." 

"  And  how  shall  we  go,  Captain  ] " 

"  Under  sail,  sir.     We  have  two  months'  fuel  left,  and  that  is 
more  than  we  shall  need  for  next  winter." 
"  Permit  me  to  say,"  began  Shandon. 

"  I  permit  you  to  follow  me  to  the  ship,  sir,"  was  Hatteras's 
answer. 

And  turning  his  back  on  his  first  officer,  he  returned  to  the 

brig  and   locked  himself  in  his 
cabin. 

For  two  days  the  wind  was 
unfavorable ;  the  captain  did 
not  come  on  deck.  The  doctor 
profited  by  this  forced  delay  to 
examine  Beechey  Island ;  he 
collected  a  few  plants  which  a 
comparatively  high  temperature 
let  gi'ow  here  and  there  on  some 
rocks  which  projected  from  the 
snow,  such  as  heather,  a  few  li- 
chens, a  sort  of  yellow  ranunculus, 
a  plant  like  sorrel  with  leaves  a 
trifle  larger,  and  some  sturdy 
saxifrages. 
The  fauna  of  this  country  was  much  richer ;  the  doctor  saw 
large  flocks  of  geese  and  cranes  flying  northward ;  partridges, 
eider-ducks,   northern   divers,   numerous  ptarmigans,  which  are 


U^^i/yZr'^ 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


147 


delicious  eating,  noisy  flocks  of  kittiwakes,  and  great  white-bellied 
loons  represented  the  winged  tribe.  The  doctor  was  lucky 
enough  to  kill  some  gray  hares,  which  had  not  yet  put  on  their 
white  winter  coat  of  fur,  and  a  blue  fox,  which  Duke  skilfully 
caught.  A  few  bears,  evidently  accustomed  to  fear  men,  could 
not  be  approached,  and  the  seals  were  very  timid,  probably  for 


the  same  reason.  The  harbor  was  full  of  a  very  good  tasting  shell- 
fish. The  genus  articulata,  order  diptera,  family  culicides,  division 
nemocera,  was  represented  by  a  simple  mosquito,  a  single  one, 
which  the  doctor,  though  much  bitten,  had  the  pleasure  of  catch- 
ing. As  a  conchologist,  he  was  less  fortunate,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  content  himself  with  a  sort  of  mussel  and  some  bivalves. 


CHAPTER    XXI 


THE    DEATH    OF   BELLOT. 

The  temperature  remained  at  57°  during  July  3d  and  4th; 
this  was  the  highest  temperature  observed.  But  on  Thursday, 
the  5th,  the  wind  shifted  to  the  southeast,  with  violent  snow- 
squalls.  The  thermometer  fell  twenty-three  degrees  in  the  pre- 
cedii:tg  night.  Hatteras,  indifferent  to  the  hostility  of  the  crew, 
gave  the  order  to  set  sail.  For  thirteen  days,  ever  since  passing 
Cape  Dundas,  the  Forward  had  not  gone  a  single  degree  farther 
north  ;  hence  tl)e  party  represented  by  Clifton  was  dissatisfied ; 
their  wishes,  it   is  true,   coincided  with  those  of  the  captain. 


148  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 

namely,  that  they  should^make  their  way  through  Wellington 
Channel,  and  they  were  all  glad  to  be  off  once  more. 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  sail  was  set;  but  having  in  the 
course  of  the  night  run  up  the  mainsail  and  topsails,  Hatteras 
plunged  boldly  into  the  ice,  which  the  current  was  driving  towards 
the  south.  The  crew  became  very  tired  of  this  tortuous  naviga- 
tion, which  kept  them  very  busy  with  the  sails. 

Wellington  Channel  is  not  very  broad ;  it  lies-  between  North 
Devon  on  the  east  and  Cornwallis  Island  on  the  west ;  for  a  long 
time  this  island  was  considered  a  peninsula.  It  was  Sir  John 
Franklin  who  circumnavigated  it,  in  1846,  from  the  western  side, 
going  about  its  northern  coast. 

The  exploration  of  Wellington  Channel  was  made  in  1851,  by 
Captain  Penny,  in  the  whale-ships  Lady  Franklin  and  Sophia  ;  one 
of  his  lieutenants,  Stewart,  who  reached  Cape  Beechey,  latitude 
76°  20',  discovered  the  open  sea.  The  open  sea  !  It  was  for  that 
Hatteras  longed. 

"What  Stewart  found,  I  shall  find,"  he  said  to  the  doctor; 
"  and  I  shall  be  able  to  get  to  the  Pole  under  sail." 

"But,"  answered  the  doctor,  "don't  you  fear  lest  the  crew  —  " 

"  The  crew  !  "  said  Hatteras,  coldly. 

Then  in  a  lower  tone  he  murmured,  — 

"  Poor  men  !  "  much  to  the  doctor's  surprise. 

It  was  the  first  sentiment  of  this  sort  which  he  had  ever  no- 
ticed in  the  captain. 

"  No,"  he  went  on  warmly,  "  they  must  follow  me,  and  they 
shall." 

Still,  if  the  Forward  need  not  fear  collision  with  the  ice- 
streams,  she  made  but  little  way  northward,  being  much  delayed 
by  contrary  winds.  With  some  difficulty  they  got  by  Capes 
Spencer  and  Innis,  and  Tuesday,  the  10th,  latitude  75°  was  at 
last  reached,  much  to  Clifton's  joy. 

The  Forward  was  now  at  the  very  spot  where  the  American 
ships,  the  Rescue  and  the  Advance,  commanded  by  Captain  Haven, 
ran  such  terrible  dangers.  Dr.  Kane  accompanied  this  expedition ; 
towards  the  end  of  September,  1850,  these  ships  were  caught  in 
the  ice,  and  carried  with  irresistible  force  into  Lancaster  Sound. 


The  Forward'm.  Wellington  Channel."  — Page  148. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLS.  l4& 

Shandon  told  James  Wall  about  it  in  the  presence  of  some  of 
the  men. 

"  The  Ad'vance  and  the  Rescue"  he  said,  "  were  so  tossed  about 
by  ice,  that  they  could  keep  no  fires  on  board ;  and  yet  the  ther- 
mometer stood  at  18°  below  zero.  During  the  whole  winter  the 
crews  were  kept  imprisoned,  ready  to  abandon  their  ships,  and 
for  three  weeks  they  did  not  take  off  their  clothes  !  It  was 
a  terrible  situation;  after  drifting  a  thousand  miles,  they  were 
driven  to  the  middle  of  Baffin's  Bay  ! " 

One  may  easily  judge  of  the  effect  of  such  a  narration  on  a 
crew  already  discontented. 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on,  Johnson  was  talking 
with  the  doctor  about  an  event  which  had  taken  place  here  ;  the 
doctor,  at  his  request,  told  him  the  exact  moment  when  the  brig 
reached  latitude  75°  30'. 

"  There  it  is !  there  it  is ! "  said  Johnson,  "  there  is  that  un- 
lucky land  ! " 

And  so  speaking,  tears  came  into  the  boatswain's  eyes. 

"You  mean  Lieutenant  Bellot's  death,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  Yes,  sir,  of  that  brave,  good  man  !  " 

"  And  it  was  here,  you  say,  that  it  took  place  1 " 

"  Just  here,  on  this  part  of  the  coast  of  North  Devon.  It  was 
very  great  ill-luck,  and  this  would  not  have  happened  if  Captain 
PuUen  had  come  on  board  sooner." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Johnson  % " 

"  Listen,  Doctor,  and  you  will  see  by  how  slight  a  thread  life 
is  held.  You  know  that  Lieutenant  Bellot  had  already  made  an 
expedition  in  search  of  Franklin,  in  18  0]" 

"  Yes ;  in  the  Prince  Albert." 

"Well,  in  1853,  having  returned  to  France,  he  got  permission 
to  sail  in  the  PhoBnix,  in  which  I  was  a  sailor,  under  Captain 
Inglefield.  We  came  with  the  Breadalhane  to  carry  supplies  to 
Beech ey  Island." 

"  Those  which  we  did  not  find  ! " 

"Exactly,  Doctor.  We  arrived  at  Beechey  Island  at  the  be- 
ginning of  August  j  the  10th  of  that  month,  Captain  Inglefield 
left  the  Phcenix  to  rejoin  Captain  Pullen,  who  had  been  away  for  a 


150         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

month  from  his  ship,  the  North  Star.  He  intended  on  his  return 
to  send  the  Admiralty  despatches  to  Sir  Edward  Belcher,  who 
was  wintering  in  AVellington  Channel.  Now,  shortly  after  our 
captain's  departure,  Captain  Pullen  reached  his  ship.  If  he  had 
only  come  back  before  Captain  Inglefield  had  left !  Lieutenant 
Bellot,  fearing  that  our  captain's  absence  might  be  a  long  one, 
and  knowing  that  the  Admiralty  despatches  were  important, 
offered  to  carry  them  himself  He  left  the  two  ships  under 
Captain  Pullen's  charge,  and  left  August  12,  with  a  sledge  and 
an  india-rubber  canoe.  He  took  with  him  Harvey,  quartermaster 
of  the  North  Star,  and  three  sailors.  Madden,  David  Hook,  and 
me.  We  thought  that  Sir  Edward  Belcher  would  be  somewhere 
near  Cape  Beecher,  at  the  northern  part  of  the  channel;  hence 
we  made  for  that  part  in  our  sledge,  keeping  on  the  east  bank. 
The  first  day  we  encamped  three  miles  from  Cape  Innis ;  the  next 
day  we  stopped  on  the  ice  nearly  three  miles  from  Cape  Bowden. 
During  the  night,  which  was  as  bright  as  day,  land  being  only 
three  miles  distant.  Lieutenant  Bellot  determined  to  go  and  camp 
there ;  he  tried  to  reach  it  in  the  canoe ;  a  violent  southeast 
breeze  drove  him  back  twice  ;  Harvey  and  Madden  tried  in  their 
turn,  and  with  success ;  they  carried  a  rope,  and  with  it  they 
established  communication  with  the  shore ;  three  objects  were 
carried  across  by  it ;  but  at  the  fourth  attempt,  we  felt  the  ice 
moving  away  from  us ;  Mr.  Bellot  shouted  to  his  companions  to 
loosen  the  rope,  and  we  (the  lieutenant,  David  Hook,  and  I)  were 
carried  to  a  great  distance  from  the  shore.  Then  a  strong  south- 
easter was  blowing,  and  snow  was  falling.  But  we  were, not  in  any 
great  danger,  and  he  might  have  been  saved,  since  the  rest  of  us 
were  saved." 

Johnson  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  gazed  at  the  ill-fated  shore, 
then  he  went  on  :  — 

"After  losing  sight  of  our  companions,  we  tried  at  first  to 
shelter  ourselves  under  the  cover  of  our  sledge,  but  in  vain ;  then 
with  our  knives  we  began  to  cut  a  house  in  the  ice.  Mr.  Bellot 
sat  down  for  half  an  hour,  and  talked  with  us  about  the  danger 
of  our  situation  ;  I  told  him  I  was  not  afraid.  *  With  God's  pro- 
tection/ he  said,  *  not  a  hair  of  our  heads  shall  be  hurt.*     I  then 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


151 


asked  him  what  time  it  was.  He  answered,  '  About  quarter  past 
six.'  It  was  quarter  past  six  in  the  morning  of  Thursday, 
August  18th.  Then  Mr.  Bellot  bound  on  his  books,  and  said  he 
wanted  to  go  and  see  how  the  ice  was  moving ;  he  was  gone  only- 
four  minutes,  when  I  went  to  seek  him  behind  the  floe  which 
sheltered  us ;  but  I  did  not  find  him,  and,  returning  to  our  re- 
treat, I  saw  his  stick  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  crevasse  about 


three  fathoms  wide,  where  the  ice  was  all  broken.  I  shouted,  but 
there  was  no  answer.  At  that  time  the  wind  was  blowing  very 
hard.  I  searched  all  around,  but  I  could  find  no  trace  of  the 
poor  lieutenant." 

"  And  what  do  you  suppose  became  of  him  ^ "  asked  the  doctor, 
who  was  much  moved  by  this  account. 

"  I  suppose  that  when  he  left  the  shelter,  the  wind  drove  him 

into  the  crevasse,  and  that,  being  thickly  clad,  he  could  not  swim 

to  the  surface.      0   Dr.  Clawbonny,  I  never  felt  worse  in  my 

life  !     I  could  not  believe  it !     That  brave  officer  fell  a  victim  to 

his  sense  of  duty  !     For  you  know  that  it  was  in  order  to  obey 

Captain  Pullen's  instructions  that  he  was  trying  to  reach  the 

land  before  the  ice  began  to  break  !     He  was  a  brave  man,  liked 

by  every  one,  faithful,  courageous  !     All  England  mourned  him, 
24 


152 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 


and  even  the  Esquimaux,  when  they  heard  of  his  death  from  Cap- 
tain Inglefield,  when  he  returned  from  Pound  Bay,  did  nothing 
but  weep  and  repeat,  '  Poor  Bellot !    Poor  Bellot  1 '  " 


"But  you  and  your  companions,  Johnson,"  asked  the  doctor, 
much  moved  by  this  touching  account,  —  "  how  did  you  manage 
to  get  to  shore  % " 

"  0,  it  was  very  simple  !  We  remained  twenty-four  hours  on  the 
ice  without  food  or  fire,  but  finally  we  reached  a  firmly  fastened 
ice-field ;  we  sprang  upon  it,  and  with  an  oar  we  got  near  a  floe 
capable  of  supporting  us,  and  being  controlled  like  a  boat.  In 
that  way  we  reached  the  shore,  but  alone,  without  our  brave 
officer." 

At  the  end  of  this  account  the  Forward  had  passed  by  this 
fatal  shore,  and  Johnson  soon  lost  sight  of  the  scene  of  this  terri- 
ble catastrophe.  The  next  day  they  left  Griffin's  Bay  on  the  star- 
board, and  two  days  later,  Capes  Grinnell  and  Helpman ;  finally, 
July  14th,  they  doubled  Osborne  Point,  and  the  15th  the  brig 
anchored  in  Baring  Bay  at  the  end  of  the  channel.  The  naviga- 
tion had  not  been  very  difficult ;  Hatteras  found  a  sea  nearly  as 
free  as  that  by  which  Belcher  profited  to  go  and  winter  with  the 
Pioneer  and  Assistance  in  latitude  77°.     That  was  his  first  winter, 


Hatteras  made  use  of  a  device  which  whalers  employ.  —  Page  153- 


TEE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  153 

1852-63,  for  the  next  he  spent  in  Baring  Bay,  where  the  For- 
ward now  lay  at  anchor. 

>^It  was  in  consequence  of  the  most  terrible  dangers  and  trials 
that  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  Assistance  in  the  midst  of  the 
eternal  ice. 

Shandon  gave  a  full  account  of  this  catastrophe  to  the  demor- 
alized sailors.  Was  Hatteras  aware  of  the  treachery  of  his  first 
officer  1  It  is  impossible  to  say,  but,  at  any  rate,  he  said  nothing 
about  it. 

At  the  end  of  Baring  Bay  is  a  narrow  canal  uniting  Welling- 
ton Channel  with  Queen's  Strait.  There  the  ice  had  accumulated 
very  closely.  Hatteras  made  vain  efforts  to  get  through  the  pas- 
sages to  the  north  of  Hamilton  Island;  the  wind  was  unfavor- 
able ;  hence  it  was  necessary  to  go  between  Hamilton  and  Com- 
wallis  Islands;  five  precious  days  were  lost  in  vain  attempts. 
The  air  grew  colder,  and,  July  19th,  fell  as  low  as  26° ;  the  next 
day  was  warmer,  but  this  harbinger  of  the  arctic  winter  warned 
Hatteras  not  to  linger  longer.  The  wind  seemed  to  blow  steadily 
from  the  west  and  delayed  his  progress.  And  yet  he  was  in 
haste  to  reach  the  point  whence  Stewart  saw  an  open  sea.  The 
19th  he  resolved  to  enter  the  channel  at  any  price;  the  wind 
blew  dead  against  the  brig,  which,  with  her  screw,  could  have 
made  headway  against  the  violent  snow-squalls,  but  Hatteras  had 
before  all  to  be  economical  with  the  fuel;  on  the  other  hand, 
the  channel  was  too  broad  to  permit  of  the  brig  being  towed. 
Hatteras,  without  taking  into  account  the  fatigue  of  his  crew, 
made  use  of  a  device  which  whalers  often  employ  under  similar 
circumstances.  He  lowered  the  small  boats  to  the  surface  of  the 
water,  not  letting  them  free  from  their  tackle ;  then  they  were 
made  fast,  fore  and  aft ;  oars  were  put  out,  to  starboard  on  one 
side  and  to  port  on  the  other ;  the  men  sat  on  the  thwarts  and 
rowed  vigorously,  so  as  to  propel  the  brig  against  the  wind. 

The  Forward  made  slight  headway ;  this  method  of  working 
was  very  fatiguing ;  the  men  began  to  murmur.  For  four  days 
they  advanced  in  that  way,  imtil  July  23d,  when  they  reached 
Baring  Island,  in  Queen's  Channel. 

The  wind  was  still  unfavorable.     The  crew  could  go  no  farther. 


154         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

The  doctor  found  the  strength  of  the  crew  much  pulled  down, 
and  he  thought  he  detected  the  first  symptoms  of  scurvy;  he 
used  every  precaution  against  this  terrible  disease,  having  abun- 
dant supplies  of  lime-juice  and  chalk-pastilles. 

Hatteras  soon  saw  there  was  nothing  more  to  be  got  from  his 
crew ;  kindness  and  persuasion  were  fruitless ;  he  resolved  to  em- 
ploy severity,  and,  if  need  be,  to  be  pitiless ;  he  distrusted  espe- 
cially Richard  Shandon,  and  even  James  Wall,  who,  however, 
never  dared  to  speak  too  loud.  Hatteras  had  on  his  side  the 
doctor,  Johnson,  Bell,  and  Simpson ;  these  were  all  devoted  to 
him  body  and  soul.  Among  the  uncertain  were  Foker,  Bolton, 
Wolston,  the  gunner,  Brunton,  the  first  engineer,  who  might  at 
any  moment  declare  against  him.  As  to  the  others.  Pen,  Grip- 
per,  Clifton,  and  Warren,  they  openly  meditated  mutiny ;  they 
wanted  to  bring  their  companions  over  and  compel  the  Forward 
to  return  to  England. 

Hatteras  soon  saw  that  he  could  get  no  more  work  from  his 
dispirited  crew,  who  now  were  worn  out  with  fatigue  from  their 
hard  work.  For  twenty-four  hours  they  remained  in  sight  of 
Baring  Island  without  getting  a  foot  forward.  Still  the  weather 
grew  colder,  and  in  these  high  latitudes  even  July  felt  the  influ- 
ence of  the  approaching  winter.  The  24th,  the  thermometer  fell 
to  22°.  The  young  ice  formed  during  the  night  to  a  depth  of 
about  half  an  inch ;  if  snow  should  fall  on  it,  it  would  soon  be 
strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of  a  man.  The  sea  soon  ac- 
quired the  turbid  tint  which  indicates  the  formation  of  the  first 
crystals. 

Hatteras  read  aright  these  alarming  signs ;  if  the  passes  should 
close,  he  would  be  obliged  to  winter  here,  far  from  the  aim  of  his 
voyage,  and  without  even  having  seen  that  open  sea  which  he 
must  have  got  very  near,  according  to  the  accounts  of  his  prede- 
cessors. Hence  he  resolved  to  get  on  at  any  price  a  few  degrees 
farther  north ;  seeing  that  he  could  neither  try  rowing  with  his 
crew  exhausted,  nor  going  under  sail  with  the  wind  always  unfa- 
vorable, he  ordered  the  fires  to  be  lighted. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  155 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

THE   FIRST    SIGNS    OF    MUTINY. 

At  this  unexpected  command,  the  surprise  on  board  of  the  For- 
ward was  very  great. 

"  Light  the  fires  ! "  said  some. 

"With  whatr'  said  others. 

"  When  we  have  only  two  months'  supply  in  the  hold  !  "  cried 
Pen. 

"And  how  are  we  to  keep  warm  in  the  winter T'  asked  Clifton. 

"  We  shall  have  to  burn  the  ship  down  to  the  water-line,  I  sup- 
pose," said  Gripper. 

"And  cram  all  the  masts  into  the  stove,"  answered  Warren, 
"  from  the  foretopmast  to  the  jib-boom." 

Shandon  gazed  intently  at  Wall.  The  surprised  engineers  hesi- 
tated to  go  down  into  the  engine-room. 

"  Did  you  hear  what  I  said  1 "  shouted  the  captain,  angrily. 

Brunton  walked  toward  the  hatchway ;  but  he  stopped  before 
going  down. 

"  Don't  go,  Brunton,"  some  one  said. 

"  Who  spoke  then  1 "  shouted  Hatteras. 

"  I  did,"  said  Pen,  approaching  the  captain. 

"  And  what  is  it  you  're  saying  % "  asked  the  captain. 

"  I  say  —  I  say,"  answered  Pen  with  many  oaths,  —  "I  say  that 
we  have  had  enough  of  this,  that  we  are  not  going  any  farther, 
that  we  don't  want  to  wear  ourselves  out  with  fatigue  and  cold 
during  the  winter,  and  that  the  fires  shall  not  be  lighted." 

"  Mr.  Shandon,"  answered  Hatteras,  coldly,  "  have  this  man  put 
in  irons." 

"  But,  Captain,"  said  Shandon,  "  what  this  man  said  —  " 

"  If  you  repeat  what  this  man  said,"  retorted  Hatteras,  "  I 
shall  order  you  to  your  cabin  and  confine  you  there.  Seize  that 
man  !     Do  you  hear  % " 


156  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  UATTERAS. 

Johnson,  Bell,  and  Simpson  stepped  towards  the  sailor,  who 
was  beside  himself  with  wrath. 

"  The  first  man  who  lays  a  finger  on  me  —  "  he  cried,  seizing 
a  handspike,  which  he  flourished  about  his  head. 

Hatteras  walked  towards  him. 

"Pen,"  he  said  very  quietly,  "if  you  move  hand  or  foot,  1  shall 
blow  your  brains  out !  " 


With  these  words  he  drew  a  revolver  and  aimed  it  at  the 
sailor. 

A  murmur  arose  from  the  crew. 

"  Not  a  word  from  any  of  you,"  said  Hatteras,  "  or  he  's  a  dead 
man." 

At  that  moment  Johnson  and  Bell  disarmed  Pen,  who  no 
longer  resisted,  and  suffered  himself  to  be  led  to  the  bottom  of 
the  hold. 

"  Now  go  below,  Brunton,"  said  Hatteras. 

The  engineer,  followed  by  Plover  and  Warren,  went  below. 
Hatteras  returned  to  the  quarter-deck. 

"  That  Pen  is  a  worthless  fellow,"  the  doctor  said  to  him. 

"  No  man  was  ever  nearer  death,"  answered  the  captain,  simply. 

Soon  there  was  enough  steam  on ;  the  anchors  of  the  Forward 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


157 


were  raised ;   and  the  brig  started  eastward,  heading  for  Point 
Beecher,  and  cutting  through  the  newly  formed  ice. 

A  great  number  of  islands  lie  between  Baring  Island  and  Point 
Beecher,  scattered  in  the  midst  of  the  ice-fields ;  the  ice-streams 
crowd  in  great  numbers  in  the  little  straits  into  which  they  divide 
the  sea ;  when  the  weather  is  cold  they  have  a  tendency  to  accu- 
mulate; here  and  there  hummocks  were  forming,  and  it  was  easy 
to  see  that  the  floes,  already  harder  and  more  crowded,  would, 
under  the  influence  of  the  first  frosts,  soon  form  an  impenetrable 


It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  Forward  made  her  way 
through  the  whirling  snow.  Still,  with  the  variability  which  is  a 
peculiarity  of  these  regions,  the  sun  would  appear  from  time  to 
time ;  the  air  grew  much  milder ;  the  ice  melted  as  if  by  en- 
chantment, and  a  clear  expanse  of  water,  a  most  welcome  sight  to 
the  eyes  of  the  crew,  spread  out  before  them  where  a  few  mo- 
ments before  the  ice  had  blocked  their  progress.  All  over  the 
horizon  there  spread  magnificent  orange  tints,  which  rested  their 
eyes,  weary  with  gazing  at  the  eternal  snow. 

Thursday,  July  26th,  the  Forward  coasted  along  Dundas  Isl- 
and, and  then  stood 
more  northward  ; 
but  there  she  found 
herself  face  to  face 
with  a  thick  mass 
of  ice,  eight  or  nine 
feet  high,  consisting 
of  little  icebergs 
washed  away  from 
the  shore ;  they  had 
to  prolong  the  curve  they  were  making  to  the  west.  The  con- 
tinual cracking  of  the  ice,  joining  with  the  creaking  of  the  rolling 
ship,  sounded  like  a  gloomy  lamentation.  At  last  the  brig  found 
a  passage  and  advanced  through  it  slowly ;  often  a  huge  floe 
delayed  her  for  hours ;  the  fog  embarrassed  the  steersman ;  at 
one  moment  he  could  see  a  mile  ahead,  and  it  was  easy  to  avoid  all 
obstacles;  but  again  the  snow-squalls  would  hide  everything  from 
25 


158  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  EATTERAS. 

their  sight  at  the  distance  of  a  cable's  length.  The  sea  ran  verj 
high. 

Sometimes  the  smooth  clouds  assumed  a  strange  appearance, 
as  if  they  were  reflecting  the  ice-banks ;  there  were  days  when 
the  sun  could  not  pierce  the  dense  mist. 

The  birds  were  still  very  numerous,  and  their  cries  were  deaf- 
ening ;  the  seals,  lying  lazily  on  the  drifting  ice,  raised  their  heads 
without  being  frightened,  and  turned  their  long  necks  to  watch 


the  ship  go  by.  Often,  too,  the  brig  would  leave  bits  of  sheath- 
ing on  the  ice  against  which  she  grazed. 

Finally,  after  six  days  of  this  slow  sailing,  August  1st,  Point 
Beecher  was  made,  sighted  in  the  north ;  Hatteras  passed  the  last 
hours  in  the  lookout ;  the  open  sea,  which  Stewart  had  seen 
May  30,  1851,  towards  latitude  76°  20^  could  not  be  far  off, 
and  yet,  as  far  as  Hatteras  could  see,  he  could  make  out  no  sign 
of  an  open  polar  sea.     He  came  down  without  sajnng  a  word. 

"  Do  you  believe  in  an  open  sea  % "  asked  Shandon  of  the  sec- 
ond mate. 

"  I  'm  beginning  to  have  my  doubts,"  answered  James  Wall. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  I59 

"  Was  n't  I  right  in  considering  this  pretended  discovery  as  a 
mere  hypothesis  1  No  one  agreed  with  me,  and  you  too,  Wall, 
—  you  sided  against  me." 

"  They  '11  believe  you  next  time,  Shandon." 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  "when  it's  too  late." 

And  he  returned  to  his  cabin,  where  he  had  kept  himself  al- 
most exclusively  since  his  discussion  with  the  captain. 

Towards  evening  the  wind  shifted  to  the  south.  Hatteras  then 
set  his  sails  and  had  the  fires  put  out ;  for  many  days  the  crew 
were  kept  hard  at  work  ;  every  few  minutes  they  had  to  tack  or 
bear  away,  or  to  shorten  sail  quickly  to  stop  the  course  of  the 
brig ;  the  braces  could  not  run  easily  through  the  choked-up 
pulleys,  and  added  to  the  fatigue  of  the  crew ;  more  than  a  week 
was  required  for  them  to  reach  Point  Barrow.  The  Forward  had 
not  made  thirty  miles  in  ten  days. 

Then  the  wind  flew  around  to  the  north,  and  the  engine  was 
started  once  more.  Hatteras  still  hoped  to  find  an  open  sea  be- 
yond latitude  77°,  such  as  Edward  Belcher  had  seen. 

And  yet,  if  he  believed  in  Penny's  account,  the  part  of  the  sea 
which  he  was  now  crossing  ought  to  have  been  open  ;  for  Penny, 
having  reached  the  limit  of  the  ice,  saw  in  a  canoe  the  shores  of 
Queen's  Channel  at  latitude  77°. 

Must  he  regard  their  reports  as  apochryphal,  or  had  an  unusu- 
ally early  winter  fallen  upon  these  regions  % 

August  15th,  Mount  Percy  reared  into  the  mist  its  peaks  cov- 
ered with  eternal  snow  ;  a  violent  wind  was  hurling  in  their  teeth 
a  fierce  shower  of  hail.  The  next  day  the  sun  set  for  the  first 
time,  terminating  at  last  the  long  series  of  days  twenty-four  hours 
long.  The  men  had  finally  accustomed  themselves  to  this  per- 
petual daylight ;  but  the  animals  minded  it  very  little ;  the  Green- 
land dogs  used  to  go  to  sleep  at  the  usual  hour,  and  even  Duke  lay 
down  at  the  same  hour  every  evening,  as  if  the  night  were  dark. 

Still,  during  the  nights  following  August  16th  the  darkness 
was  never  very  marked ;  the  sun,  although  it  had  set,  still  gave 
light  enough  by  refraction. 

August  19th,  after  taking  a  satisfactory  observation,  Cape 
Franklin  was  seen  on  the  eastern  side,  and  opposite  it  Cape  Lady 


160 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 


Franklin ;  at  what  was  probably  the  farthest  point  reached  by 
this  bold  explorer,  his  fellow-countrymen  wanted  the  name  of  his 
devoted  wife  should  be  remembered  along  with  his  own,  as  an 
emblem  of  the  sympathy  which  always  united  them.  The  doctor 
was  much  moved  by  this  sight  in  this  distant  country. 

In  accordance  with  Johnson's  advice,  he  began  to  accustom 
himself  to  enduring  low  temperature ;  he  kept  almost  all  the 
time  on  deck,  braving  the  cold,  wind,  and  snow.  Although  he 
had  grown  a  little  thinner,  he  did  not  suffer  from  the  severity  of 
the  climate.  Besides,  he  expected  other  dangers,  and  he  re- 
joiced, almost,  as  he  saw  the  winter  approaching. 

"  See,"  said  he  one  day  to  Johnson,  —  "  see  those  flocks  of 
birds  flying  south  !     How  they  fly  and  cry  adieu ! " 

"  Yes,  Dr.  Clawbonny,"  answered  Johnson,  "  something  has 
told  them  it  was  time  to  go,  and  they  are  off"." 

"  More  than  one  of 
our  men,  Johnson, 
would  be  glad  to  imi- 
tate them,  I  fancy." 

"They  are  timid  fel- 
lows, Doctor;    what  a 
bird  can't  do,    a  man 
ought  to  try  !     Those 
birds  have  no  supply 
of  food,   as  we   have, 
and  they  must  support 
themselves   elsewhere. 
But  sailors,  with  a  good 
deck  under  the  feet,  ought  to  go  to  the  end  of  the  world." 
"  You  hope,  then,  that  Hatteras  will  succeed  in  his  projects  1 " 
"  He  will  succeed.  Doctor." 

"I  agree  with  you,  Johnson,  even  if  only  one  faithful  man 
accompanies  him  —  " 

"  There  will  be  two  of  us  !  " 

"Yes,  Johnson,"  the  doctor  answered,  pressing  the  brave  sailor's 
hand. 

Prince  Albert's  Land,  along  which  the  Forward  was  now  coast- 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  161 

ing,  is  also  called  Grinnell's  Land ;  and  although  Hatteras,  from 
his  dislike  to  Americans,  never  was  willing  to  give  it  this  name, 
nevertheless,  it  is  the  one  by  which  it  is  generally  known.  This 
is  the  reason  of  this  double  title  :  at  the  same  time  that  the 
Englishman  Penny  gave  it  the  name  of  Prince  Albert,  the  captain 
of  the  RescMe,  Lieutenant  DeHaven,  named  it  Grinnell's  Land,  in 
honor  of  tlie  American  merchant  who  had  fitted  out  the  expedi- 
tion in  New  York. 

As  the  brig  followed  the  coast  it  met  with  serious  difficulties, 
going  sometimes  under  sail,  sometimes  under  steam.  August 
18th,  Mount  Britannia  was  sighted  through  the  mist,  and  the 
next  day  the  Forward  cast  anchor  in  Northumberland  Bay.  The 
ship  was  completely  protected. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

ATTACKED   BY   THE   ICE. 

Hatteras,  after  seeing  to  the  anchorage  of  the  ship,  returned  to 
his  cabin,  took  out  his  chart,  and  marked  his  position  on  it  very 
carefully ;  he  found  himself  in  latitude  76°  57',  and  longitude 
99°  20',  that  is  to  say,  only  three  minutes  from  latitude  77°.  It 
was  here  that  Sir  Edward  Belcher  passed  his  first  winter  with  the 
Pioneer  and  Assistance.  It  was  from  here  that  he  organized  his 
sledge  and  canoe  expeditions ;  he  discovered  Table  Island,  North 
Cornwall,  Victoria  Archipelago,  and  Belcher  Channel.  Having 
gone  beyond  latitude  78°,  he  saw  the  coast  inclining  towards  the 
southeast.  It  seemed  as  if  it  ought  to  connect  with  Jones's  Strait, 
which  opens  into  Baffin's  Bay.  But,  says  the  report,  an  open  sea, 
in  the  northwest,  "  stretched  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach." 

Hatteras  gazed  with  emotion  at  that  portion  of  the  charts 
where  a  large  white  space  marked  unknown  regions,  and  his  eyes 
always  returned  to  the  open  polar  sea. 

"  After  so  many  statements,"  he  said  to  himself,  —  "  after  the 
accounts  of  Stewart,  Penny,  and  Belcher,  doubt  is  impossible' 


162 


THE  ADVBN TUBES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


These  bold  sailors  saw,  and  with  their  own  eyes !  Can  1  doubt 
their  word  ]  No  !  But  yet  if  this  sea  is  closed  by  an  early 
winter —  But  no,  these  discoveries  have  been  made  at  in- 
tervals of  several  years ;  this  sea  exists,  and  I  shall  find  it !  1 
shall  see  it !  " 


■:2L2^*-^'^-^^ 


Hatteras  went  upon  the  quarter-deck.  A  dense  mist  enveloped 
the  Forward ;  from  the  deck  one  could  hardly  see  the  top  of  the 
mast.  Nevertheless,  Hatteras  ordered  the  ice-master  below,  and 
took  his  place  ;  he  wanted  to  make  use  of  the  first  break  in  the 
fog  to  look  at  the  horizon  in  the  northwest. 

Shandon  took  occasion  to  say  to  the  second  mate,  — 

"  Well,  Wall,  and  the  open  seaT' 

"You  were  right,  Shandon,"  answered  Wall,  "and  we  have 
only  six  weeks'  coal  in  the  bunkers." 

"  The  doctor  will  invent  some  scientific  way,"  continued  Shan- 
don, "  of  heating  us  without  fuel.  I  've  heard  of  making  ice  with 
fire  ;  perhaps  he  will  make  fire  with  ice." 

Shandon  returned  to  his  cabin,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

The  next  day,  August  20th,  the  fog  lifted  for  a  few  minutes. 
From  the  deck  they  saw  Hatteras  in  his  lofty  perch  gazing  intently 
towards  the  horizon ;   then  he  came  down  without  saying  a  word 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  163 

and  ordered  them  to  set  sail;  but  it  was  easy  to  see  that  his 
hopes  had  been  once  more  deceived. 

The  Forward  heaved  anchor  and  resumed  her  uncertain  path 
northward.  So  wearisome  was  it  that  the  main-topsail  and  fore- 
topsail  yards  were  lowered  with  all  their  rigging ;  the  masts  were 
also  lowered,  and  it  was  no  longer  possible  to  place  any  reliance 
on  the  varying  wind,  which,  moreover,  the  winding  nature  of  the 
passes  made  almost  useless ;  large  white  masses  were  gathering 
here  and  there  in  the  sea,  like  spots  of  oil ;  they  indicated  an  ap- 
proaching thaw ;  as  soon  as  the  wind  began  to  slacken,  the  sea 
began  to  freeze  again,  but  when  the  wind  arose  this  young  ice 
would  break  and  disperse.  Towards  evening  the  thermometer 
fell  to  17°. 

When  the  brig  arrived  at  the  end  of  a  closed  pass,  it  rushed  on 
at  full  steam  against  the  opposing  obstacle.  Sometimes  they 
thought  her  fairly  stopped  ;  but  some  unexpected  motion  of  the 
ice-streams  would  open  a  new  passage  into  which  she  would 
plunge  boldly;  during  these  stoppages  the  steam  would  escape 
from  the  safety-valves  and  fall  on  the  deck  in  the  form  of  snow. 
There  was  another  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  the  brig ;  the  ice 
would  get  caught  in  the  screw,  and  it  was  so  hard  that  the  engine 
could  not  break  it ;  it  was  then  necessary  to  reverse  the  engines, 
turn  the  brig  back,  and  send  some  men  to  free  the  snow  with  axes 
and  levers ;  hence  arose  many  difficulties,  fatigues,  and  delays. 

It  went  on  in  this  way  for  thirteen  days ;  the  Forward  ad- 
vanced slowly  through  Penny  Strait.  The  crew  murmured,  but 
obeyed;  they  knew  that  retreat  was  now  impossible.  The  ad- 
vance towards  the  north  was  less  perilous  than  a  return  to  the 
south ;  it  was  time  to  think  of  going  into  winter-quarters. 

The  sailors  talked  together  about  their  condition,  and  one  day 
they  even  began  to  talk  with  Shandon,  who,  they  knew,  was  on 
their  side.  He  so  far  forgot  his  duty  as  an  officer  as  to  allow 
them  to  discuss  in  his  presence  the  authority  of  his  captain. 

"  So  you  say,  Mr.  Shandon,"  asked  Gripper,  "  that  we  can't  go 
back  now  ] " 

"  No,  it 's  too  late,"  answered  Shandon. 

"  Then,"  said  another  sailor,  "  we  need  only  look  forward  to 
going  into  winter-quarters  ^ " 


164         ^SB  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"  It 's  our  only  resource  !     No  one  would  believe  me  —  " 

"The  next  time,"  said  Pen,  who  had  returned  to  duty,  "they 
will  believe  you." 

"Since  I  sha'n't  be  in  command  —  "  answered  Shandon. 

"  Who  can  tell  % "  remarked  Pen.  "  John  Hatteras  is  free  to 
go  as  far  as  he  chooses,  but  no  one  is  obliged  to  follow  him." 

"  Just  remember,"  resumed  Gripper,  "  his  first  voyage  to  Baf- 
fin's Bay  and  what  came  of  it ! " 

"  And  the  voyage  of  the  Farewell,''^  said  Clifton,  "  which  was 
lost  in  the  Spitzenberg  seas  under  his  command." 

"  And  from  which  he  came  back  alone,"  added  Gripper. 

"  Alone,  but  with  his  dog,"  said  Clifton. 

"We  don't  care  to  sacrifice  ourselves  for  the  whims  of  that 
man,"  continued  Pen. 

"  Nor  to  lose  all  the  wages  we  've  earned  so  hard." 

They  all  recognized  Clifton  by  those  words. 

"  When  we  pass  latitude  78°,"  he  added,  "  and  we  are  not  far 
from  it,  that  will  make  just  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds 
for  each  man,  six  times  eight  degrees." 

"  But,"  asked  Gripper,  "  sha'  n't  we  lose  them  if  we  go  back 
without  the  captain  1 " 

"No,"  answered  Clifton,  "if  we  can  prove  that  it  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  return." 

"  But  the  captain  —  still  —  " 

"Don't  be  uneasy,  Gripper,"  answered  Pen;  "we  shall  have  a 
captain,  and  a  good  one,  whom  Mr.  Shandon  knows.  When  a 
captain  goes  mad,  he  is  dismissed  and  another  appointed.  Is  n't 
that  so,  Mr.  Shandon  1 " 

"My  friends,"  answered  Shandon,  evasively,  "you  will  always 
find  me  devoted  to  you.     But  let  us  wait  and  see  what  turns  up." 

The  storm,  as  may  be  seen,  was  gathering  over  Hatteras's 
head ;  but  he  pushed  on  boldly,  firm,  energetic,  and  confident. 
In  fact,  if  he  had  not  always  managed  the  brig  as  he  wanted  to, 
and  carried  her  where  he  was  anxious  to  go,  he  had  still  been 
very  successful ;  the  distance  passed  over  in  five  months  was  as 
great  as  what  it  had  taken  other  explorers  two  or  three  years  to 
make.     Hatteras  was  now  obliged  to  go  into  winter-quarters,  but 


TH^  mGLtsn  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  165 

this  would  not  alarm  men  of  courage,  experience,  and  confidence. 
Had  not  Sir  John  Ross  and  MacClure  spent  three  successive  win- 
ters in  the  arctic  regions^     Could  not  he  do  what  they  had  done] 

"Yes,  of  course,"  Hatteras  used  to  say,  "and  more  too,  if  need 
be.  Ah ! "  he  said  regretfully  to  the  doctor,  "  why  was  I  unable 
to  get  through  Smith's  Sound,  at  the  north  of  Baffin's  Bay  1  I 
should  be  at  the  Pole  now  ! " 

"  Well,"  the  doctor  used  invariably  to  answer,  —  if  necessary  he 
could  have  invented  confidence,  —  "  we  shall  get  there.  Captain, 
but,  it  is  true,  at  the  ninety-ninth  meridian  instead  of  the  seventy- 
fifth  ;  but  what  difference  does  that  make  %  If  every  road  leads 
to  Rome,  it  is  even  surer  that  every  meridian  leads  to  the  Pole." 

August  31st,  the  thermometer  fell  to  13°.  The  end  of  the 
summer  was  evidently  near ;  the  Forward  left  Exmouth  Island 
to  starboard,  and  three  days  afterward  she  passed  Table  Island, 
lying  in  the  middle  of  Belcher  Channel.  Earlier  in  the  season 
it  would  have  been  possible  to  reach  Baffin's  Bay  through  this 
channel,  but  at  this  time  it  was  impossible  to  think  of  it.  This 
arm  of  the  sea  was  completely  filled  with  ice,  and  would  not  have 
offered  a  drop  of  open  water  to  the  prow  of  the  Forward ;  for 
the  next  eight  months  their  eyes  would  see  nothing  but  bound- 
less, motionless  ice-fields. 

Fortunately,  they  could  still  get  a  few  minutes  farther  north, 
but  only  by  breaking  the  new  ice  with  huge  beams,  or  by  blowing 
it  up  with  charges  of  powder.  They  especially  had  cause  to  fear 
calm  weather  while  the  temperature  was  so  low,  for  the  passes 
closed  quickly,  and  they  rejoiced  even  at  contrary  winds.  A  calm 
night,  and  everything  was  frozen  ! 

Now  the  Forward  could  not  winter  where  she  was,  exposed  to 
the  wind,  icebergs,  and  the  drift  of  the  channel ;  a  safe  protection 
was  the  first  thing  to  be  found  ;  Hatteras  hoped  to  gain  the  coast 
of  New  Cornwall,  and  to  find,  beyond  Point  Albert,  a  bay  suffi- 
ciently sheltered.     Hence  he  persisted  in  crowding  northward. 

But;,  September  8,  an  impenetrable,  continuous  mass  of  ice  lay 
between  him  and  the  north;  the  temperature  fell  to  10°.  Hat- 
teras, with  an  anxious  heart,  in  vain  sought  for  a  passage,  risking 

his  ship  a  hundred  times  and  escaping  from  his  perils  with  won- 
26 


166  TEE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

derful  skill.  He  might  have  been  accused  of  imprudence,  reck- 
lessness, folly,  blindness,  but  he  was  one  of  the  best  of  sailors. 

The  situation  of  the  Forward  became  really  dangero\is ;  in  fact, 
the  sea  was  closing  behind  her,  and  in  a  few  hours  the  ice  grew 
so  hard  that  men  could  run  upon  it  and  tow  the  brig  in  perfect 
safety. 

Hatteras,  not  being  able  to  get  around  this  obstacle,  deter- 
mined to  attack  it  boldly  in  front.  He  made  use  of  his  strongest 
blasting  cylinders,  containing  eight  or  ten  pounds  of  powder.  The 
men  would  dig  a  hole  in  the  broadest  part  of  the  ice,  close  the 
orifice  with  snow,  after  having  placed  the  cylinder  in  a  horizontal 
position,  so  that  a  greater  extent  of  ice  might  be  exposed  to  the 
explosion;  then  a  fuse  was  ligthed,  which  was  protected  by  a 
gutta-percha  tube. 

In  this  way  they  tried  to  break  the  ice ;  it  was  impossible  to 
saw  it,  for  the  fissures  would  close  immediately.  Still,  Hatteras 
was  hoping  to  get  through  the  next  day. 

But  during  the  night  the  wind  blew  a  gale  ;  the  sea  raised  the 
crust  of  ice,  and  the  terrified  pilot  was  heard  shouting,  — 

"  Look  out  there  aft,  look  out  there  aft ! " 

Hatteras  turned  his  eyes  in  that  direction,  and  what  he  saw  in 
the  dim  light  was  indeed  alarming. 

A  great  mass  of  ice,  drifting  northward  with  the  tide,  was  rush- 
ing towards  the  brig  with  the  speed  of  an  avalanche. 

"  All  hands  on  deck  ! "  shouted  the  captain. 

This  floating  mountain  was  hardly  half  a  mile  away ;  the  ice 
was  all  in  confusion  and  crashing  together  like  huge  grains  of  sand 
before  a  violent  tempest ;  the  air  was  filled  with  a  terrible  noise. 

"  That,  Doctor,"  said  Johnson,  "  is  one  of  the  greatest  perils  we 
have  yet  met  with." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  doctor,  quietly;  "it  is  terrible  enough." 

"A  real  attack  which  we  must  repel,"  resumed  the  boatswain. 

"  In  fact,  one  might  well  think  it  was  an  immense  crowd  of 
antediluvian  animals,  such  as  might  have  lived  near  the  Pole. 
How  they  hurry  on,  as  if  they  were  racing ! " 

"  Besides,"  added  Johnson,  "  some  carry  sharp  lances,  of  which 
you  had  better  take  care,  Doctor." 


'A  crash  was  heard,  and  as  it  came  against  the  starboard  quarter,  part  of  the 
rail  had  given  way."  —  Page  167. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  167 

"  It 's  a  real  siege,"  shouted  the  doctor.  "  Well,  let  us  run  to 
the  ramparts  ! " 

He  ran  aft  where  the  crew,  provided  with  beams  and  bars,  were 
standing  ready  to  repel  this  formidable  assault. 

The  avalanche  came  on,  growing  larger  at  every  moment  as  it 
caught  up  the  floating  ice  in  its  eddy ;  by  Hatteras's  orders  the 
cannon  was  loaded  with  ball  to  break  the  threatening  line.  But  it 
came  on  and  ran  towards  the  brig;  a  crash  was  heard,  and  as 
it  came  against  the  starboard-quarter,  part  of  the  rail  had  given 
way. 

"  Let  no  one  stir !  "  shouted  Hatteras.     "  Look  out  for  the  ice  ! " 

They  swarmed  on  board  the  ship  with  an  irresistible  force ; 
lumps  of  ice,  weighing  many  hundredweight,  scaled  the  sides  of 
the  ship ;  the  smallest,  hurled  as  high  as  the  yards,  fell  back  in 
sharp  arrows,  breaking  the  shrouds  and  cutting  the  rigging.  The 
men  were  overcome  by  numberless  enemies,  who  were  heavy 
enough  to  crush  a  hundred  ships  like  the  Forward.  Every  one 
tried  to  drive  away  these  lumps,  and  more  than  one  sailor  was 
wounded  by  their  sharp  ends ;  among  others,  Bolton,  who  had  his 
left  shoulder  badly  torn.  The  noise  increased  immensely.  Duke 
barked  angrily  at  these  new  enemies.  The  darkness  of  the  night 
added  to  the  horrors  of  the  situation,  without  hiding  the  ice 
which  glowed  in  the  last  light  of  the  evening. 

Hatteras's  orders  sounded  above  all  this  strange,  impossible, 
supernatural  conflict  of  the  men  with  the  ice.  The  ship,  yielding 
to  this  enormous  pressure,  inclined  to  larboard,  and  the  end  of 
the  main-yard  was  already  touching  the  ice,  at  the  risk  of  break- 
ing the  mast. 

Hatteras  saw  the  danger ;  it  was  a  terrible  moment ;  the  brig 
seemed  about  to  be  overturned,  and  the  masts  might  be  easily 
carried  away. 

A  large  block,  as  large  as  the  ship,  appeared  to  be  passing 
along  the  keel ;  it  arose  with  irresistible  power ;  it  came  on  past 
the  quarter-deck ;  if  it  fell  on  the  Forward,  all  was  over ;  soon  it 
rose  even  above  the  topmasts,  and  began  to  totter. 

A  cry  of  terror  escaped  from  every  one's  lips.  Every  one  ran 
back  to  starboard. 


1.68 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


But  at  that  moment  the  ship  was  relieved.  They  felt  her  lifted 
up,  and  for  an  instant  she  hung  in  the  air,  then  she  leaned  over 
and  fell  back  on  the  ice,  and  then  she  rolled  so  heavily  that  her 
planks  cracked.     What  had  happened  % 

Raised  by  this  rising  tide,  driven  by  the  ice  which  attacked  her 
aft,  she  was  getting  across  this  impenetrable  ice.  After  a  minute 
of  this  strange  sailing,  which  seemed  as  long  as  a  century,  she 
fell  back  on  the  other  side  of  the  obstacle  on  a  field  of  ice ;  she 
broke  it  with  her  weight,  and  fell  back  into  her  natural  element. 

"  We  have  got  by  the  thick  ice  ! "  shouted  Johnson,  who  had 
run  forward. 

"  Thank  God  ! "  said  Hatteras. 


In  fact,  the  brig  lay  in  the  centre  of  a  basin  of  ice,  which  en- 
tirely surrounded  her,  and  although  her  keel  lay  under  water  she 
could  not  stir ;  but  if  she  were  motionless,  the  field  was  drifting 
along. 

"  We  are  drifting.  Captain  !  "  shouted  Johnson. 

"  All  right,"  answered  Hatteras. 

Indeed,  how  was  it  possible  to  resist  it  1 

Day  broke,  and  it  was  evident  that  under  the  influence  of  a  sub- 
marine current  the  bank  of  ice  was  floating  northward  with  great 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  169 

rapidity.  This  floating  mass  carried  the  Forward  with  it,  in  the 
midst  of  the  ice-field,  the  edge  of  which  could  not  be  seen;  to 
provide  for  any  accident  that  might  happen,  Hatteras  had  a  large 
supply  of  provisions  carried  on  deck,  as  well  as  materials  for 
camping,  clothing,  and  cover ;  as  MacClure  had  done  under  simi- 
lar circumstances,  he  surrounded  the  ship  with  hammocks  filled 
with  air  to  protect  her  from  damage.  Soon  it  was  so  cold  (7°), 
that  the  ship  was  surrounded  by  a  wall  from  which  only  the 
masts  issued. 

For  seven  days  they  sailed  in  this  way ;  Point  Albert,  which 
forms  the  western  extremity  of  New  Cornwall,  was  seen  Sep- 
tember 10th,  and  soon  disappeared;  the  ice-field  was  seen  to  be 
drifting  eastward  from  that  time.  Where  was  it  going  ?  Where 
would  it  stop '?     Who  could  say  1 

The  crew  waited  with  folded  arms.  At  last,  September  15th, 
towards  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  ice-field,  having  prob- 
ably run  against  another  one,  stopped  suddenly ;  the  ship  was 
jarred  violently ;  Hatteras,  who  had  kept  his  reckoning  all  along, 
looked  at  his  chart ;  he  found  himself  in  the  north,  with  no  land 
in  sight,  in  longitude  95°  35',  and  latitude  78°  \5\  in  the  centre 
of  the  region  of  the  unknown  sea,  which  geographers  have  consid- 
ered the  place  of  greatest  cold. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  WINTERING. 

The  same  latitude  is  colder  in  the  southern  than  in  the  north- 
ern hemisphere  ;  but  the  temperature  of  the  New  World  is  fifteen 
degrees  beneath  that  of  the  other  parts  of  the  world ;  and  in 
America  these  countries,  known  under  the  name  of  the  region  of 
greatest  cold,  are  the  most  inclement. 

The  mean  temperature  for  the  whole  year  is  two  degrees  below 
zero.  Physicists  have  explained  this  fact  in  the  following  way, 
and  Dr.  Clawbonny  shared  their  opinion. 


170 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


According  to  them,  the  most  constant  winds  in  the  northern 
regions  of  America  are  from  the  southwest ;  they  come  from  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  with  an  equal  and  agreeable  temperature;  but 
before  they  reach  the  arctic  seas  they  are  obliged  to  cross  the 
great  American  continent,  which  is  covered  with  snow ;  the 
contact  chills  them,  and  communicates  to  these  regions  their 
intense  cold. 

Hatteras  found  himself  at  the  pole  of  cold,  beyond  the  coun- 
tries seen  by  his  predecessors ;  he  consequently  expected  a  ter- 
rible winter,  on  a  ship  lost  amid  the  ice,  with  a  turbulent  crew. 
He  resolved  to  meet  these  dangers  with  his  usual  energy.  He 
faced  what  awaited  him  without  flinching. 

He  began,  with  Johnson's  aid  and  experience,  to  take  all  the 
measures  necessary  for  going  into  winter-quarters.  According  to 
his  calculation  the  Forward  had  been  carried  two  hundred  and 


fifty  miles  from  any  known  land,  that  is  to  say,  from  North  Corn- 
wall ;  she  was  firmly  fixed  in  a  field  of  ice,  as  in  a  bed  of  granite, 
and  no  human  power  could  extricate  her. 

There  was  not  a  drop  of  open  water  in  these  vast  seas  chained 
by  the  fierce  arctic  winter.  The  ice-fields  stretched  away  out  of 
sight,  but  without  presenting  a  smooth  surface.      Far  from  it. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  171 

Numerous  icebergs  stood  up  in  the  icy  plain,  and  the  Forward 
was  sheltered  by  the  highest  of  them  on  three  points  of  the  com- 
pass ;  the  southeast  wind  alone  reached  them.  Let  one  imagine 
rock  instead  of  ice,  verdure  instead  of  snow,  and  the  sea  again 
liquid,  and  the  brig  would  have  quietly  cast  anchor  in  a  pretty 
bay,  sheltered  from  the  fiercest  blasts.  But  what  desolation 
here  !     What  a  gloomy  prospect !     What  a  melancholy  view  ! 

The  brig,  although  motionless,  nevertheless  had  to  be  fastened 
securely  by  means  of  anchors ;  this  was  a  necessary  precaution 
against  possible  thaws  and  submarine  upheavals.  Johnson,  on 
hearing  that  the  Forward  was  at  the  pole  of  cold,  took  even 
greater  precautions  for  securing  warmth. 

"  We  shall  have  it  severe  enough,"  he  had  said  to  the  doctor ; 
"  that 's  just  the  captain's  luck,  to  go  and  get  caught  at  the  most 
disagreeable  spot  on  the  globe  !  Bah !  you  will  see  that  we  shall 
get  out  of  it." 

As  to  the  doctor,  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  he  was  simply 
delighted.  He  would  not  have  changed  it  for  any  other.  Winter 
at  the  pole  of  cold  !     What  good  luck  ! 

At  first,  work  on  the  outside  occupied  the  crew  ;  the  sails  were 
kept  furled  on  the  yards  instead  of  being  placed  at  the  bottom  of 
the  hold,  as  the  earlier  explorers  did ;  they  were  merely  bound 
up  in  a  case,  and  soon  the  frost  covered  them  with  a  dense  enve- 
lope;  the  topmasts  were  not  unshipped,  and  the  crow's-nest 
remained  in  its  place.  It  was  a  natural  observatory ;  the  run- 
ning-rigging alone  was  taken  down. 

It  became  necessary  to  cut  away  the  ice  from  the  ship  to  re- 
lieve the  pressure.  That  which  had  accumulated  outside  was 
quite  heavy,  and  the  ship  did  not  lie  as  deep  as  usual.  This  was 
a  long  and  laborious  task.  At  the  end  of  some  days  the  ship's 
bottom  was  freed,  and  could  be  inspected ;  it  had  not  suffered, 
thanks  to  its  solidity ;  only  its  copper  sheathing  was  nearly  torn 
away.  The  ship,  having  grown  lighter,  drew  about  nine  inches 
less  than  she  did  earlier ;  the  ice  was  cut  away  in  a  slope,  follow- 
ing the  make  of  the  hull ;  in  this  way  the  ice  formed  beneath  the 
brig's  keel  and  so  resisted  all  pressure. 

The  doctor  took  part  in  this  work :  he  managed  the  ice-cutter 
27 


172         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HAT T ERAS. 

well;  he  eucouraged  the  sailors  by  his  good-humor.  He  in- 
structed them  and  himself.  He  approved  of  this  arrangement  of 
the  ice  beneath  the  ship. 

"  That  is  a  good  precaution,"  he  said. 

"Without  that,  Dr.  Clawbonny,"  answered  Johnson,  ''resist- 
ance would  be  impossible.  Now  we  can  boldly  raise  a  wall  of 
snow  as  high  as  the  gunwale ;  and,  if  we  want  to,  we  can  make  it 
ten  feet  thick,  for  there  is  no  lack  of  material." 

"  A  capital  idea,"  resumed  the  doctor ;  "  the  snow  is  a  bad  con- 
ductor of  heat;  it  reflects  instead  of  absorbing,  and  the  inside 
temperature  cannot  escape." 

"True,"  answered  Johnson;  "we  are  building  a  fortification 
against  the  cold,  and  also  against  the  animals,  if  they  care  to 
visit  us ;  when  that  is  finished,  it  will  look  well,  you  may  be 
sure ;  in  this  snow  we  shall  cut  two  staircases,  one  fore,  the  other 
aft ;  when  the  steps  are  cut  in  the  snow,  we  shall  pour  water  on 
them ;  this  will  freeze  as  hard  as  stone,  and  we  shall  have  a  royal 
staircase." 

"  Precisely,"  answered  the  doctor ;  "  and  it  must  be  said  it  is 
fortunate  that  cold  produces  both  snow  and  ice,  by  which  to  pro- 
tect one's  self  against  it.  Without  that,  one  would  be  very  much 
embarrassed." 

In  fact,  the  ship  was  destined  to  disappear  beneath  a  thick 
casing  of  ice,  which  was  needed  to  preserve  its  inside  tempera- 
ture ;  a  roof  made  of  thick  tarred  canvas  and  covered  with  snow 
was  built  above  the  deck  over  its  whole  length ;  the  canvas  was 
low  enough  to  cover  the  sides  of  the  ship.  The  deck,  being  pro- 
tected from  all  outside  impressions,  became  their  walk;  it  was 
covered  with  two  and  a  half  feet  of  snow ;  this  snow  was  crowded 
and  beaten  down  so  as  to  become  very  hard ;  so  it  resisted  the 
radiation  of  the  internal  heat;  above  it  was  placed  a  layer  of 
sand,  which  as  it  solidified  became  a  sort  of  macadamized  cover 
of  great  hardness. 

"A  little  more,"  said  the  doctor,  "and  with  a  few  trees  I  might 
imagine  myself  at  Hyde  Park,  or  even  in  the  hanging-gardens  at 
Babylon." 

A  trench  was  dug  tolerably  near  the  brig ;  this  was  a  circular 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


173 


space  in  the  ice,  a  real  pit,  which  had  to  be  kept  always  open. 
Every  morning  the  ice  formed  overnight  was  broken ;  this  was  to 
secure  water  in  case  of  fire  or  for  the  baths  which  were  ordered 
the  crew  by  the  doctor ;  in  order  to  spare  the  fuel,  the  water  was 
drawn  from  some  distance  below  the  ice,  where  it  was  less  cold. 
This  was  done  by  means  of  an  instrument  devised  by  a  French 
physicist  (Francois  Arago) ;  this  apparatus,  lowered  for  some 
distance  into  the  water,  brought  it  up  to  the  surface  through  a 
cylinder. 


Generally  in  winter  everything  which  encumbers  the  ship  is 
removed,  and  stored  on  land.  But  what  was  practicable  near 
land  is  impossible  for  a  ship  anchored  on  the  ice. 

Every  preparation  was  made  to  fight  the  two  great  enemies  of 
this  latitude,  cold  and  dampness ;  the  first  produces  the  second, 
which  is  far  more  dangerous.  The  cold  may  be  resisted  by  one 
who  succumbs  to  dampness ;  hence  it  was  necessary  to  guard 
against  it. 

The  Forward,  being  destined  to  a  journey  in  arctic  seas,  con- 
tained the  best  arrangements  for  winter-quarters  :  the  large  room 
for  the  crew  was  well  provided  for ;  the  corners,  where  dampness 
first  forms,  were  shut  off;  in  fact,  when  the  temperature  is  very 


174  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

low,  a  film  of  ice  forms  on  the  walls,  especially  in  the  corners,  and 
when  it  melts  it  keeps  up  a  perpetual  dampness.  If  it  had  been 
round,  the  room  would  have  been  more  convenient ;  but,  being 
heated  by  a  large  stove,  and  properly  ventilated,  it  was  very  com- 
fortable ;  the  walls  were  lined  with  deerskins,  not  with  wool,  for 
wool  absorbs  the  condensed  moisture  and  keeps  the  air  full  of 
dampness. 

Farther  aft  the  walls  of  the  quarter  were  taken  down,  and  the 
officers  had  a  larger  common-room,  better  ventilated,  and  heated 
by  a  stove.  This  room,  like  that  of  the  crew,  had  a  sort  of  ante- 
chamber, which  cut  off  all  comunmication  with  the  outside.  In 
this  way,  the  heat  could  not  be  lost,  and  one  passed  gradually 
from  one  temperature  to  the  other.  In  the  anterooms  were  left 
the  snow-covered  clothes ;  the  shoes  were  cleansed  on  the  scrap- 
ers, so  as  to  prevent  the  introduction  of  any  unwholesomeness 
with  one  into  the  room. 

Canvas  hose  served  to  introduce  air  for  the  draught  of  the 
stoves ;  other  pieces  of  hose  permitted  the  steam  to  escape.  In 
addition  two  condensers  were  placed  in  the  two  rooms,  and  col- 
lected this  vapor  instead  of  letting  it  form  into  water;  twice  a 
week  they  were  emptied,  and  often  they  contained  several  bush- 
els of  ice.     It  was  so  much  taken  from  the  enemy. 

The  fire  was  perfectly  and  easily  controlled,  by  means  of  the 
canvas  hose ;  by  use  of  merely  a  small  quantity  of  coal  it  was 
easy  to  keep  the  temperature  of  50°.  Still,  Hatteras,  having  ex- 
amined the  bunkers,  soon  saw  that  the  greatest  economy  was 
necessary,  for  there  was  not  two  months'  fuel  on  board. 

A  drying-room  was  set  apart  for  the  clothes  which  were  to  be 
washed ;  they  could  not  be  dried  in  the  open  air,  for  they  would 
freeze  and  tear. 

The  delicate  pieces  of  the  machinery  were  carefully  taken 
down,  and  the  room  which  contained  them  was  hermetically 
closed. 

The  life  on  board  became  the  object  of  serious  meditation; 
Hatteras  regulated  it  with  the  utmost  caution,  and  the  order  of 
the  day  was  posted  up  in  the  common-room.  The  men  arose  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning ;   three  times  a  week  the  hammocks 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  175 

were  aired  ;  every  morning  the  floors  were  scoured  with  hot  sand ; 
tea  was  served  at  every  meal,  and  the  bill  of  fare  varied  as  much 
as  possible  for  every  day  of  the  week ;  it  consisted  of  bread, 
farina,  suet  and  raisins  for  puddings,  sugar,  cocoa,  tea,  rice,  lemon- 
juice,  potted  meats,  salt  beef  and  pork,  cabbages,  and  vegetables 
in  vinegar ;  the  kitchen  lay  outside  of  the  living-rooms ;  its  heat 
was  consequently  lost ;  but  cooking  is  a  perpetual  source  of  evap- 
oration and  dampness. 

The  health  of  the  men  depends  a  great  deal  on  the  sort  of  food 
they  get;  in  high  latitudes,  the  greatest  amount  of  animal  food 
ought  to  be  eaten.  The  doctor  had  supervised  the  sort  of  food  to 
be  given. 

"  We  ought  to  follow  the  Esquimaux,"  he  used  to  say ;  "  they 
have  received  their  lessons  from  nature,  and  are  our  masters  in 
that ;  if  the  Arabs  and  Africans  can  content  themselves  with  a 
few  dates  and  a  handful  of  rice,  here  it  is  important  to  eat,  and 
to  eat  a  good  deal.  The  Esquimaux  take  from  ten  to  fifteen 
pounds  of  oil  a  day.  If  that  fare  does  not  please  you,  we  must  try 
food  rich  in  sugar  and  fat.  In  a  word,  we  need  carbon,  so  let  us 
manufacture  carbon  !  It  is  well  to  put  coal  in  the  stove,  but  don't 
let  us  forget  to  fill  that  precious  stove  we  cany  about  with  us." 

With  this  bill  of  fare,  strict  cleanliness  was  enforced ;  every 
other  day  each  man  was  obliged  to  bathe  in  the  half-frozen  water 
which  the  iron  pump  brought  up,  and  this  was  an  excellent  way 
of  preserving  their  health.  The  doctor  set  the  example  ;  he  did 
it  at  first  as  a  thing  which  ought  to  be  very  disagreeable ;  but 
this  pretext  was  quickly  forgotten,  for  he  soon  took  real  pleasure 
in  this  healthy  bath. 

When  work  or  hunting  or  distant  expeditions  took  the  men 
oft'  in  the  severe  cold,  they  had  to  take  special  care  not  to  be 
frost-bitten ;  if  they  were,  rubbing  with  snow  would  restore  the 
circulation.  Moreover,  the  men,  who  all  wore  woollen  clothes, 
put  on  coats  of  deerskin  and  trousers  of  sealskin,  which  per- 
fectly resist  the  wind. 

The  diff'erent  arrangements  of  the  ship,  the  getting-to-rights  on 
board,  took  about  three  weeks,  and  they  reached  October  10th 
without  any  special  incident. 


17G         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS, 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

ONE    OF   JAMES   ROSS'S    FOXES. 

On  that  day  the  thermometer  fell  to  three  degrees  below  zero. 
The  day  was  calm ;  the  cold  was  very  endurable  in  the  absence 
of  wind.  Hatteras  took  advantage  of  the  clearness  of  the  air  to 
reconnoitre  the  surrounding  plains ;  he  ascended  one  of  the  high- 
est icebergs  to  the  north,  but  even  with  his  glass  he  could  make 
out  nothing  but  a  series  of  ice-mountains  and  ice-fields.  There 
was  no  land  in  sight,  nothing  but  gloomy  confusion.  He  re- 
turned, and  tried  to  calculate  the  probable  length  of  their  im- 
prisonment. 

The  hunters,  and  among  them  the  doctor,  James  Wall,  Simp- 
son, Johnson,  and  Bell,  kept  them  supplied  with  fresh  meat. 
The  birds  had  disappeared,  seeking  a  milder  climate  m  the  south. 
The  ptarmigans  alone,  a  sort  of  rock-partridge  peculiar  to  this 
latitude,  did  not  flee  the  winter ;  it  was  easy  to  kill  them,  and 
there  were  enough  to  promise  a  perpetual  supply  of  game. 


Hares,  foxes,  wolves,  ermines,  and  bears  were  plentiful;  a 
French,  English,  or  Norwegian  hunter  would  have  had  no  right 
to  complain ;  but  they  were  so  shy  that  it  was  hard  to  approach 
them  ;  besides,  it  was  hard  to  distinguish  them  on  the  white  plain, 
they  being  white  themselves,  for  in  winter  they  acquire  that  col- 
ored fur.     In  opposition  to  the  opinions  of  some  naturalists,  the 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  177 

doctor  held  that  this  change  was  not  due  to  the  lowering  of  the 
temperature,  since  it  took  place  before  October ;  hence  it  was  not 
due  to  any  physical  cause,  but  rather  providential  foresight,  to 
secure  these  animals  against  the  severity  of  an  arctic  winter. 

Often,  too,  they  saw  sea-cows  and  sea-dogs,  animals  included 
under  the  name  of  seals ;  all  the  hunters  were  specially  recom- 
mended to  shoot  them,  as  much  for  their  skins  as  for  their  fat, 
which  was  very  good  fuel.  Besides,  their  liver  made  a  very  good 
article  of  food ;  they  could  be  counted  by  hundreds,  and  two  or 
three  miles  north  of  the  ship  the  ice  was  continually  perforated 
by  these  huge  animals ;  only  they  avoided  the  hunter  with  re- 
markable instinct,  and  many  were  wounded  who  easily  escaped 
by  diving  under  the  ice. 


Still,  on  the  19th,  Simpson  succeeded  in  getting  one  four  hun- 
dred yards  distant  from  the  ship ;  he  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
close  its  hole  in  the  ice,  so  that  it  could  not  escape  from  its 
pursuers.  He  fought  for  a  long  time,  and  died  only  after  re- 
ceiving many  bullets.  He  was  nine  feet  long ;  his  bull-dog  head, 
the  sixteen  teeth  in  his  jaw,  his  large  pectoral  fins  shaped  like 
little  wings,  his  little  tail  with  another  pair  of  fins,  made  him  an 
excellent  specimen.  The  doctor  wished  to  preserve  his  head  for 
his  collection  of  natural  history,  and  his  skin  for  future  contin- 
gences,  hence  he  prepared  both  by  a  rapid  and  economical  process. 
He  plunged  the  body  in  the  hole,  and  thousands  of  little  prawns 
removed  the  flesh  in  small  pieces ;  at  the  end  of  half  a  day  the 
work  was  half  finished,  and  the  most  skilful  of  the  honorable 
corporation  of  tanners  at  Liverpool  could  not  have  done  better. 

When  the  sun  had  passed  the  autumn  equinox,  that  is  to  say, 


178  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  Q ATTAIN  HATTERAS. 

September  23d,  the  winter  fairly  begins  in  the  arctic  regions. 
The  sun,  having  gradually  sunk  to  the  horizon,  disappeared  at 
last,  October  23d,  lighting  up  merely  the  tops  of  the  mountains 
with  its  oblique  rays.  The  doctor  gave  it  his  last  farewell.  He 
could  not  see  it  again  till  the  month  of  February. 

Still  the  darkness  was  not  complete  during  this  long  absence 
of  the  sun ;  the  moon  did  its  best  to  replace  it ;  the  stars  were 
exceedingly  brilliant,  the  auroras  were  very  frequent,  and  the 
refractions  peculiar  to  the  snowy  horizons;  besides,  the  sun  at 
the  time  of  its  greatest  southern  declension,  December  21st,  ap- 
proaches within  thirteen  degrees  of  the  polar  horizon ;  hence, 
every  day  there  was  a  certain  twilight  for  a  few  hours.  Only  the 
mist  and  snow-storms  often  plunged  these  regions  in  the  deepest 
obscurity. 

Still,  up  to  this  time  the  weather  was  very  favorable ;  the 
partridges  and  hares  alone  had  reason  to  complain,  for  the 
hunters  gave  them  no  rest ;  a  great  many  traps  were  set  for 
foxes,  but  these  crafty  animals  could  not  be  caught ;  very  often 
they  scraped  the  snow  away  beneath  the  trap  and  took  the  bait 
without  running  any  risk;  the  doctor  cursed  them,  being  very 
averse  to  making  them  such  a  present. 


October  25th,  the  thermometer  fell  as  low  as  —  4°.  A  violent 
hurricane  raged ;  the  air  was  filled  with  thick  snow,  which  per- 
mitted no  ray  of  light  to  reach  the  Forward.  For  several  hours 
there  was  some  anxiety  about  the  fate  of  Bell  and  Simpson,  who 
had  gone  some  distance  away  hunting ;  they  did  not  reach  the 
ship  till  the  next  day,  having  rested  for  a  whole  day  wrapped  up 
in  their  furs,  while  the  hurricane  swept  over  them  and  buried 


"  The  moon  shone  with  incomparable  purity,  glistening  on  the  least  roughness 
in  the  ice."  —  Page  i8o. 


28 


TEE  ENQLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  179 

them  under  five  feet  of  snow.  They  were  nearly  frozen,  and  the 
doctor  found  it  very  hard  to  restore  their  circulation. 

The  tempest  lasted  eight  days  without  interruption.  No  one 
could  set  foot  outside.  In  a  single  day  there  were  variations  in 
the  temperature  of  fifteen  or  twenty  degrees. 

During  this  enforced  leisure  every  one  kept  to  himself,  some 
sleeping,  others  smoking,  others  again  talking  in  a  low  tone  and 
stopping  at  the  approach  of  Johnson  or  the  doctor ;  there  was  no 
moral  tie  between  the  men  of  the  crew ;  they  only  met  at  even- 
ing prayers  and  at  Sunday  services. 

Clifton  knew  perfectly  well  that  when  the  seventy-eighth  par- 
allel was  passed,  his  share  of  the  pay  would  amount  to  three 
hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds;  he  thought  it  a  good  round 
sum,  and  his  ambition  did  not  go  any  further.  His  opinion  was 
generally  shared,  and  all  looked  forward  to  the  day  when  they 
should  enjoy  this  hardly-earned  fortune. 

Hatteras  kept  almost  entirely  out  of  sight.  He  never  took 
part  in  the  hunts  or  the  walks  from  the  ship.  He  took  no  inter- 
est in  the  meteorological  phenomena  which  kept  the  doctor  in  a 
constant  state  of  admiration.  He  lived  with  but  a  single  idea ; 
it  consisted  of  three  words,  —  The  North  Pole.  He  only  thought 
of  when  the  Forward,  free  at  last,  should  resume  her  bold  course. 

In  fact,  the  general  feeling  on  board  was  one  of  gloom.  Noth- 
ing was  so  sad  as  the  sight  of  this  captive  vessel,  no  longer  resting 
in  its  natural  element,  but  with  its  shape  hidden  beneath  thick 
layers  of  ice  ;  it  looks  like  nothing ;  it  cannot  stir,  though  made 
for  motion ;  it  is  turned  into  a  wooden  storehouse,  a  sedentary 
dwelling,  this  ship  which  knows  how  to  breast  the  wind  and  the 
storms.  This  anomaly,  this  false  situation,  filled  their  hearts 
with  an  indefinable  feeling  of  disquiet  and  regret. 

During  these  idle  hours  the  doctor  arranged  the  notes  he  had 
taken,  from  which  this  book  is  made  up ;  he  was  never  out  of 
spirits,  and  never  lost  his  cheerfulness.  Yet  he  was  glad  to  see 
the  end  of  the  storm,  and  prepared  to  resume  his  hunting. 

November  3d,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  a  temperature 
of  —  5°,  he  set  off  in  company  with  Johnson  and  Bell ;  the  expanse 
of  ice  was  unbroken;  all  the  snow  which  had  fallen  so  abundantly 


180  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  H ATT  ERAS. 

during  the  preceding  days  was  hardened  by  the  frost,  and  made 
good  walking;  the  air  was  keen  and  piercing;  the  moon  shone 
with  incomparable  purity,  glistening  on  the  least  roughness  in 
the  ice ;  their  footprints  glowed  like  an  illuminated  trail,  and  their 
long  shadows  stood  out  almost  black  against  the  brilliant  ice. 

The  doctor  had  taken  Duke  with  him ;  he  preferred  him  to  the 
Greenland  dogs  to  hunt  game,  and  he  was  right ;  for  they  are  of 
very  little  use  inider  such  circumstances,  and  they  did  not  appear 
to  possess  the  sacred  fire  of  the  race  of  the  temperate  zone. 
Duke  ran  along  with  his  nose  on  the  ground,  and  he  often  stopped 
on  the  recent  marks  of  bears.  Still,  in  spite  of  his  skill,  the 
hunters  did  not  find  even  a  hare  in  two  hours'  walking. 

"Has  all  the  game  felt  it  necessary  to  go  south'?"  said  the 
doctor,  stopping  at  the  foot  of  a  hummock. 

"  I  should  fancy  it  must  be  so.  Doctor,"  answered  the  carpenter. 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  said  Johnson ;  "  the  hares,  foxes,  and  bears 
are  accustomed  to  this  climate  ;  I  think  this  last  storm  must 
have  driven  them  away ;  but  they  will  come  back  with  the  south- 
winds.  Ah,  if  you  were  to  talk  about  reindeer  and  musk-deer, 
that  might  be  diiferent ! " 

"And  yet  at  Melville  Island  numberless  animals  of  this  sort 
are  found,"  resumed  the  doctor ;  "  it  lies  farther  south,  it  is  true, 
and  during  the  winters  he  spent  there  Parry  always  had  plenty 
of  this  magnificent  game." 

"We  have  much  poorer  luck,"  answered  Bell;  "if  we  could 
only  get  enough  bear's  meat,  we  would  do  very  well." 

"The  difficulty  is,"  said  the  doctor,  "the  bears  seem  to  me 
very  rare  and  very  wild ;  they  are  not  civilized  enough  to  come 
within  gun-shot." 

"Bell  is  talking  about  the  flesh  of  the  bear,"  said  Johnson, 
"but  his  grease  is  more  useful  than  his  flesh  or  his  fur." 

"You  are  right,  Johnson,"  answered  Bell;  "you  are  always 
thinking  of  the  fuel." 

"  How  can  I  help  it  1  Even  with  the  strictest  economy,  we  have 
only  enough  for  three  weeks  ! " 

"  Yes,"  resumed  the  doctor,  "  that  is  the  real  danger,  for  we 
are  now  only  at  the  beginning  of  November,  and  February  is  the 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  181 

coldest  month  in  the  frigid  zone ;  still,  if  we  can't  get  bear's 
grease,  there  's  no  lack  of  seal's  grease." 

"But  not  for  a  very  long  time,  Doctor,"  answered  Johnson; 
"  they  will  soon  leave  us ;  whether  from  cold  or  fright,  soon  they 
won't  come  upon  the  ice  any  more." 

"Then,"  continued  the  doctor,  "we  shall  have  to  fall  back  on 
the  bear,  and  I  confess  the  bear  is  the  most  useful  animal  to  be 
found  in  these  countries,  for  he  furnishes  food,  clothing,  light,  and 
fuel  to  men.  Do  you  hear,  Duke  % "  he  said,  patting  the  dog's 
head,  "  we  want  some  bears,  my  friend,  bears  !  bears  ! " 

Duke,  who  was  sniffing  at  the  ice  at  that  time,  aroused  by  the 
voices,  and  caresses  of  the  doctor,  started  off  suddenly  with  the 
speed  of  an  arrow.  He  barked  violently  and,  far  off  as  he  was, 
his  loud  barks  reached  the  hunters'  ears. 

The  extreme  distance  to  which  sound  is  carried  when  the  tem- 
perature is  low  is  an  astonishing  fact ;  it  is  only  equalled  by  the 
brilliancy  of  the  constellations  in  the  northern  skies ;  the  waves 
of  light  and  sound  are  transmitted  to  great  distances,  especially 
in  the  dry  cold  of  the  nights. 

The  hunters,  guided  by  his  distant  barking,  hastened  after 
him;  they  had  to  run  a  mile,  and  they  got  there  all  out  of 
breath,  which  happens  very  soon  in  such  an  atmosphere.  Duke 
stood  pointing  about  fifty  feet  from  an  enormous  mass  which  was 
rolling  about  on  the  top  of  a  small  iceberg. 

"  Just  what  we  wanted  ! "  shouted  the  doctor,  cocking  his  gun. 

"  A  fine  bear  !  "  said  Bell,  following  the  doctor's  example. 

"  A  curious  bear  !  "  said  Johnson,  who  intended  to  fire  after  his 
companions. 

Duke  barked  furiously.  Bell  advanced  about  twenty  feet,  and 
fired ;  but  the  animal  seemed  untouched,  for  he  continued  rolling 
his  head  slowly. 

Johnson  came  forward,  and,  after  taking  careful  aim,  he  pulled 
the  trigger. 

"  Good  ! "  said  the  doctor ;  "  nothing  yet !  Ah,  this  cursed  re- 
fraction !  We  are  too  far  off ;  we  shall  never  get  used  to  it  1  That 
bear  is  more  than  a  mile  away." 

"  Come  on  ! "  answered  Bell. 


182  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

The  three  companions  hastened  toward  the  animal,  which  had 
not  been  alarmed  by  the  firing ;  he  seemed  to  be  very  large,  but, 
without  weighing  the  danger,  they  gave  themselves  up  already  to 
the  joy  of  victory.  Having  got  within  a  reasonable  distance, 
they  fired ;  the  bear  leaped  into  the  air  and  fell,  mortally 
wounded,  on  the  level  ice  below. 


Duke  rushed  towards  him. 

"  That 's  a  bear,"  said  the  doctor,  "  which  was  easily  con- 
quered." 

"  Only  three  shots,"  said  Bell  with  some  scorn,  "  and  he 's 
down ! " 

*'  That 's  odd,"  remarked  Johnson. 

"  Unless  we  got  here  just  as  he  was  going  to  die  of  old  age," 
continued  the  doctor,  laughing. 

"  Well,  young  or  old,"  added  Bell,  "  he  's  a  good  capture." 

Talking  in  this  way  they  reached  the  small  iceberg,  and,  to 
their  great  surprise,  they  found  Duke  growling  over  the  body  of 
a  white  fox. 

"  Upon  ray  word,"  said  Bell,  "  that 's  too  much  !  " 

*'  Well,"  said  the  doctor,  "  we  've  fired  at  a  bear,  and  killed  a 
fox!" 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


183 


Well,  our   imagination 
bear  or  fox,  he  's  good  eat- 


Johnson  did  not  know  what  to  say. 

''Well,"  said  the  doctor  with  a  burst  of  laughter  in  which 
there  was  a  trace  of  disappointment,  "  that  refraction  again  !  It 's 
always  deceiving  us." 

"  What  do  you 
mean,  Doctor  1"  asked 
the  carpenter. 

"Yes,  my  friend; 
it  deceived  us  with 
respect  to  its  size  as 
well  as  the  distance  ! 
It  made  us  see  a  bear 
in  a  fox's  skin  !  Such 
a  mistake  is  not  un- 
common under  similar  circumstances  ! 
{done  was  wrong  !  " 

"  At  any  rate,"  answered  Johnson, 
ing.     Let 's  carry  him  off." 

But  as  the  boatswain  was  lifting  him  to  his  shoulders  :  — 

"  That 's  odd,"  he  said. 

"  What  is  it  1 "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  See  there,  Doctor,  he  's  got  a  collar  around  his  neck." 

''A  collar]"  asked  the  doctor  again,  examining  the  fox. 

In  fact,  a  half-worn-out  copper  collar  appeared  under  his  white 
fur ;  the  doctor  thought  he  saw  letters  engraved  upon  it ;  he  un- 
fastened it  from  the  animal's  neck,  about  which  it  seemed  to  have 
been  for  a  long  time. 

"  What  does  that  mean  ? "  asked  Johnson. 

"  That  means,"  said  the  doctor,  "  that  we  have  just  killed  a  fox 
more  than  twelve  years  old,  —  a  fox  who  was  caught  by  James 
Ross  in  1848." 

"  Is  it  possible  1 "  said  Bell. 

"  There  's  no  doubt  about  it.  I  'm  sorry  we  killed  him  !  While 
he  was  in  winter-quarters,  James  Ross  thought  of  trapping  a 
large  number  of  white  foxes ;  he  fastened  on  their  necks  copper 
collars  on  which  was  engraved  the  position  of  his  ships,  the  En- 
terprise and  Investigator,  as  well  as  where  the  supplies  were  left. 


184 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 


These  animals  run  over  immense  distances  in  search  of  food,  and 
James  Ross  hoped  that  one  of  them  might  fall  into  the  hands 
of  one  of  the  men  of  the  Franklin  expedition.  That 's  the  simple 
explanation ;  and  this  poor  beast,  who  might  have  saved  the  life 
of  two  crews,  has  fallen  uselessly  beneath  our  guns." 

"  Well,  we  won't  eat  it,"  said  Johnson,  ''especially  if  it 's  twelve 
years  old.     But  we  shall  keep  the  skin  as  a  memento." 

Johnson  raised  it  to  his  shoulders.  The  hunters  made  their 
way  to  the  ship,  guiding  themselves  by  the  stars ;  their  expedi- 
tion was  not  wholly  without  result ;  they  were  able  to  bring  back 
several  ptarmigans. 


An  hour  before  reaching  the  Forward,  there  was  a  singular 
phenomenon  which  greatly  interested  the  doctor.  It  was  a  real 
shower  of  shooting-stars ;  they  could  be  counted  by  thousands, 
flying  over  the  heavens  like  rockets ;  they  dimmed  the  light  of 
the  moon.  For  hours  they  could  have  stood  gazing  at  this  beau- 
tiful sight.  A  similar  phenomenon  was  observed  in  Greenland  in 
1799,  by  the  Moravians.  It  looked  like  an  exhibition  of  fire- 
works. The  doctor  after  his  return  to  the  ship  spent  the  whole 
night  gazing  at  the  sight,  which  lasted  till  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  while  the  air  was  perfectly  silent. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  185 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

THE    LAST    PIECE    OF    COAL. 

The  bears,  it  seemed,  could  not  be  caught ;  a  few  seals  were 
killed  on  the  4th,  5th,  and  6th  of  November,  and  the  wind 
shifted  and  the  weather  grew  much  milder ;  but  the  snow-drifts 
began  again  with  incomparable  severity.  It  became  impossible  to 
leave  the  ship,  and  it  was  hard  to  subdue  the  dampness.  At  the 
end  of  thp  week  the  condensers  contained  several  bushels  of  ice. 

The  weather  changed  again  November  15th,  and  the  thermom- 
eter, under  the  infliience  of  certain  atmospheric  conditions,  sank 
to  — 24°.  That  was  the  lowest  temperature  they  had  yet  ob- 
served. This  cold  would  have  been  endurable  in  calm  weather  • 
but  the  wind  was  blowing  at  that  time,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the 
air  was  filled  with  sharp  needles. 

The  doctor  regretted  his  captivity,  for  the  snow  was  hardened 
by  the  wind,  so  as  to  make  good  walking,  and  he  might  have 
gone  very  far  from  the  ship. 

Still,  it  should  be  said  that  the  slightest  exercise  m  so  low  a 
temperature  is  very  exhausting.  A  man  can  perform  hardly 
more  than  a  quarter  of  his  usual  work ;  iron  utensils  cannot  be 
touched  ;  if  the  hand  seizes  them,  it  feels  as  if  it  were  burned,  and 
shreds  of  skin  cleave  to  the  object  which  had  been  incautiously 
seized. 

The  crew,  being  confined  to  the  ship,  were  obliged  to  walk  on 
the  covered  deck  for  two  hours  a  day,  where  they  had  leave  to 
smoke,  which  was  forbidden  in  the  common-room. 

There,  when  the  fire  got  low,  the  ice  used  to  cover  the  walls 
and  the  intervals  between  the  planks ;  every  nail  and  bolt  and 
piece  of  metal  was  immediately  covered  with  a  film  of  ice. 

The    celerity  of  its    formation   astonished  the    doctor.       The 

breath  of  the  men  condensed  in  the  air,  and,  changing  from  a  fluid 

to  a  solid  form,  it  fell  about  them  in  the  form  of  snow.     A  few 
29 


186  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

feet  from  the  stove  it  was  very  cold,  and  the  men  stood  grouped 
around  the  fire. 

Still,  the  doctor  advised  them  to  harden  themselves,  and  to 
accustom  themselves  to  the  cold,  which  was  not  so  severe  as 
what  yet  awaited  them;  he  advised  them  to  expose  their  skin 
gradually  to  this  intense  temperature,  and  he  himself  set  the 
example ;  but  idleness  or  numbness  nailed  most  of  them  to  their 
place ;  they  refused  to  stir,  and  preferred  sleeping  in  that  un- 
healthy heat. 

Yet,  according  to  the  doctor,  there  was  no  danger  in  exposing 
one's  self  to  great  cold  after  leaving  a  heated  room ;  these  sudden 
changes  only  inconvenience  those  who  are  in  a  perspiration ;  the 
doctor  quoted  examples  in  support  of  his  opinion,  but  his  lessons 
were  for  the  most  part  thrown  away. 

As  for  John  Hatteras,  he  did  not  seem  to  mind  the  inclement 
cold.  He  walked  to  and  fro  silently,  never  faster  or  slower.  Did 
not  the  cold  affect  his  powerful  frame  1  Did  he  possess  to  a  very 
great  degree  the  principle  of  natural  heat  which  he  wanted  his 
men  to  possess  1  Was  he  so  bound  up  in  his  meditations  that  he 
was  indifferent  to  outside  impressions  ?  His  men  saw  liim  with 
great  astonishment  braving  a  temperature  of* — 24°;  he  would 
leave  the  ship  for  hours,  and  come  back  without  appearing  to 
suffer  from  the  cold. 

"  He  's  a  singular  man,"  said  the  doctor  to  Johnson ;  "  he 
astonishes  me  !  He  carries  a  glowing  furnace  within  him !  He 
is  one  of  the  strongest  natures  I  ever  saw  !  " 

"  The  fact  is,"  answered  Johnson,  "  he  goes  and  comes  and 
circulates  in  the  open  air,  without  dressing  any  more  thickly  than 
in  the  month  of  June." 

"  0,  it  does  n't  make  much  difference  what  one  wears ! "  an- 
swered the  doctor ;  "  what  is  the  use  of  dressing  warmly  if  one 
can't  produce  heat  within  himself?  It  's  like  trying  to  heat  ice 
by  wrapping  it  up  in  wool !  But  Hatteras  does  n't  need  it ;  he  's 
built  that  way,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  his  side  was  as 
warm  as  the  neighborhood  of  a  glowing  coal." 

Johnson,  who  was  charged  with  clearing  away  the  water-hole 
every  morning,  noticed  that  the  ice  was  ten  feet  thick. 


Almost  every  night  tlie  doctor  could  observe  the  magnificent  auroras."—  Page  187. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  187 

Almost  every  night  the  doctor  could  observe  the  magnificent 
auroras ;  from  four  o'clock  till  eight  of  the  evening,  the  sky  in  the 
north  was  slightly  lighted  up;  then  this  took  a  regular  shape,  with 
a  rim  of  light  yellow,  the  ends  of  which  seemed  to  touch  the  field 
of  ice.  Gradually  the  brilliancy  arose  in  the  heavens,  following  the 
magnetic  meridian,  and  appeared  striped  with  black  bands ;  jets 
of  luminosity  shot  with  varying  brightness  here  and  there ;  when 
it  reached  the  zenith  it  was  often  composed  of  several  arcs  bathed 
in  waves  of  red,  yellow,  or  green  light.  It  was  a  dazzling  sight. 
Soon  the  different  curves  met  in  a  single  point,  and  formed 
crowns  of  celestial  richness.  Finally  the  arcs  all  crowded  to- 
gether, the  splendid  aurora  grew  dim,  the  intense  colors  faded 
away  into  pale,  vague,  uncertain  tints,  and  this  wonderful  phenome- 
non vanished  gradually,  insensibly,  in  the  dark  clouds  of  the  south. 

It  is  difficult  to  realize  the  wonderful,  magical  beauty  of  such  a 
spectacle  in  high  latitudes,  less  than  eight  degrees  from  the  pole ; 


the  auroras  which  are  seen  in  the  temperate  zone  give  no  idea  of 
it ;  it  seems  as  if  Providence  wished  to  reserve  the  greatest 
wonders  for  these  regions. 

Numerous   mock-moons   appeared    also  while   the   moon   was 
shining,  and  a  great  many  would  appear  in  the  sky,  adding  to 


188         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

the  general  brilliancy ;  often,  too,  simple  lunar  halos  surrounded 
the  moon  with  a  circle  of  splendid  lustre. 

November  26th  the  tide  rose  very  high,  and  the  water  came 
through  the  hole  with  great  violence;  the  thick  crust  of  ice 
seemed  pushed  up  by  the  force  of  the  sea,  and  the  frequent 
cracking  of  the  ice  proclaimed  the  conflict  that  was  going  on 
beneath ;  fortunately  the  ship  remained  firm  in  her  bed,  but  her 
chains  worked  noisily ;  it  was  as  a  precaution  against  just  such 
an  event,  that  Hatteras  had  made  the  brig  fast. 

The  following  days  were  still  colder;  a  dense  fog  hid  the  sky; 
the  wind  tossed  the  snow  about;  it  was  hard  to  determine 
whether  it  came  from  the  clouds  or  from  the  ice-fields;  every- 
thing was  in  confusion. 

The  crew  kept  busy  with  various  interior  occupations,  the 
principal  one  being  the  preparation  of  the  grease  and  oil  from  the 
seal ;  it  was  frozen  into  blocks  of  ice,  which  had  to  be  cut  with  a 
hatchet ;  it  was  broken  into  small  fragments,  which  were  as  hard 
as  marble ;  ten  barrels  full  were  collected.  As  may  be  seen, 
every  vessel  became  nearly  useless,  besides  the  risk  of  its  break- 
ing when  the  contents  froze. 

The  28th  the  thermometer  fell  to  — 32°  ;  there  was  only 
ten  days'  coal  on  board,  and  every  one  awaited  with  horror  the 
moment  when  it  should  come  to  an  end. 

Hatteras,  for  the  sake  of  economy,  had  the  fire  in  the  stove  in 
the  after-room  put  out ;  and  from  that  time  Shandon,  the  doctor, 
and  he  were  compelled  to  betake  themselves  to  the  common-room 
of  the  crew.  Hatteras  was  hence  brought  into  constant  commu- 
nication with  his  men,  who  gazed  at  him  with  surly,  dejected 
glances.  He  heard  their  fault-finding,  their  reproaches,  even 
their  threats,  without  being  able  to  punish  them.  However,  he 
seemed  deaf  to  every  remark.  He  never  went  near  the  fire.  He 
remained  in  a  corner,  with  folded  arms,  without  saying  a  word. 

In  spite  of  the  doctor's  recommendations,  Pen  and  his  friends 
refused  to  take  the  slightest  exercise ;  they  passed  whole  days 
crouching  about  the  stove  or  under  their  bedclothes ;  hence  their 
health  began  to  suffer ;  they  could  not  react  against  the  rigor  of 
the  climate,  and  scurvy  soon  made  its  appearance  on  board. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


189 


The  doctor  had  long  since  begun  to  distribute,  every  morning, 
lemon-juice  and  lime  pastilles ;  but  these  precautions,  which  were 
generally  so  efficacious,  did  very  little  good  to  the  sick  ;  and  the 
disease,  following  its  usual  course,  soon  showed  its  most  horrible 
symptoms. 

Terrible  indeed  it  was  to  see  those  wretches  with  their  nerves 
and  muscles  contracted  with  pain !  Their  legs  were  fearfully 
swollen,  and  were  covered  with  large  bluish-black  patches ;  their 
bleeding  gums,  their  swollen  lips,  permitted  them  to  utter  only 
inarticulate  sounds ;  their  blood  was  poisoned,  deprived  of  fibrine, 
and  no  lono-er  carried  life  to  the  extremities. 


Clifton  was  the  first  to  be  attacked  by  this  cruel  malady  ;  soon 
Gripper,  Brunton,  and  Strong  had  to  keep  to  their  hammocks. 
Those  whom  the  illness  spared  could  not  avoid  the  sight  of  the 
sufferings  of  their  friends ;  the  common-room  was  the  only  place 
where  they  could  stay ;  so  it  was  soon  transformed  into  a  hospi- 
tal, for  of  the  eighteen  sailors  of  the  Forward,  thirteen  were  soon 
down  with  scurvy.  It  seemed  as  if  Pen  would  escape  the  conta- 
gion ;  his  strong  constitution  preserved  him ;  Shandon  felt  the 
first  symptoms,  but  it  went  no  further  with  him,  and  plenty  of 
exercise  soon  restored  him  to  good  health. 


190  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  EATTERAS. 

The  doctor  tended  his  patients  with  the  greatest  devotion,  and 
his  heart  would  bleed  at  the  sight  of  the  sufferings  he  could  not 
assuage.  Still,  he  inspired  as  much  cheerfulness  as  he  could  in 
the  lonely  crew ;  his  words,  his  consolations,  his  philosophical 
reflections,  his  fortunate  inventions,  broke  the  monotony  of  those 
long  days  of  suffering ;  he  would  read  aloud  to  them ;  his  won- 
derful memory  kept  him  supplied  with  amusing  anecdotes,  while 
the  men  who  were  well  stood  pressing  closely  around  the  stove ; 
but  the  groans  of  the  sick,  their  complaints,  and  their  cries  of 
despair  would  continually  interrupt  him,  and,  breaking  off  in  the 
middle  of  a  story,  he  would  become  the  devoted  and  attentive 
physician. 

Besides,  his  health  remained  good ;  he  did  not  grow  thin ;  his 
corpulence  stood  him  in  better  stead  than  the  thickest  raiment, 
and  he  used  to  say  he  was  as  well  clad  as  a  seal  or  a  whale,  who, 
thanks  to  their  thick  layers  of  fat,  easily  support  the  rigors  of  the 
winter. 

Hatteras  did  not  suffer  physically  or  morally.  The  sufferings 
of  the  crew  did  not  seem  to  depress  him.  Perhaps  he  would  not 
let  his  emotions  appear  on  his  face,  while  an  acute  observer  would 
have  detected  the  heart  of  a  man  beneath  this  mask  of  iron. 

The  doctor  analyzed  him,  studied  him,  and  could  not  classify 
this  strange  organization,  this  unnatural  temperament. 

The  thermometer  fell  still  lower;  the  deck  was  entirely  de- 
serted; the  Esquimaux  dogs  alone  walked  up  and  down  it,  barking 
dismally. 

There  w^as  always  a  man  on  guard  near  the  stove,  who  superin- 
tended putting  on  the  coal ;  it  was  important  not  to  let  it  go  out ; 
when  the  fire  got  low  the  cold  crept  into  the  room,  formed  on  the 
walls,  and  the  moisture  suddenly  condensed  and  fell  in  the  form 
of  snow  on  the  unfortunate  occupants  of  the  brig. 

It  was  among  these  terrible  sufferings  that  they  reached  De- 
cember 8th ;  that  morning  the  doctor  went  as  usual  to  look  at  the 
thermometer.     He  found  the  mercury  entirely  frozen  in  the  bulb. 

"  Forty-four  degrees  below  zero  !  "  he  said  with  terror. 

And  on  that  day  the  last  piece  of  coal  on  board  was  thrown 
into  the  stove. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  191 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

THE   GREAT    COLD    AT    CHRISTMAS. 

For  a  moment  he  had  a  feeling  of  despair.  The  thought  of 
death,  and  death  by  cold,  appeared  in  all  its  horror;  this  last 
piece  of  coal  burned  with  an  ominous  splutter ;  the  fire  seemed 
about  to  go  out,  and  the  temperature  of  the  room  fell  noticeably. 
But  Johnson  went  to  get  some  of  the  new  fuel  which  the  marine 
animals  had  furnished  to  them,  and  with  it  he  filled  the  stove ; 
he  added  to  it  some  tow  filled  with  frozen  oil,  and  soon  obtained 
sufficient  heat.  The  odor  was  almost  unendurable;  but  how 
get  rid  of  it  1  They  had  to  get  used  to  it.  Johnson  agreed  that 
his  plan  was  defective,  and  that  it  would  not  be  considered  a 
success  in  Liverpool. 

"  And  yet,"  he  added,  "  this  unpleasant  smell  will,  perhaps, 
produce  good  results." 

"  What  are  they  1 "  asked  the  carpenter. 

"  It  will  doubtless  attract  the  bears  this  way,  for  they  are  fond 
of  the  smell." 

"Well,"  continued  Bell,  "what  is  the  need  of  having  bears  1" 

"  Bell,"  replied  Johnson,  "  we  can't  count  on  seals  any  longer ; 
they  're  gone  away,  and  for  a  long  time  ;  if  bears  don't  come  in 
their  place  to  supply  us  with  their  share  of  fuel,  I  don't  know 
what  is  to  become  of  us." 

"  True,  Johnson,  our  fate  is  very  uncertain ;  our  position  is  a 
most  alarming  one.  And  if  this  sort  of  fuel  gives  out,  I  don't 
see  how  —  " 

"  There  might  be  another  —  " 

"  Another  r' asked  Bell. 

"  Yes,  Bell !  in  despair  on  account  of —  but  the  captain  would 
never  —  but  yet  we  shall  perhaps  have  to  come  to  it." 

And  Johnson  shook  his  head  sadly,  and  fell  to  thinking  gloomily. 
Bell  did  not  interrupt  him.     He  knew  that  the  supply  of  fat, 

30 


192  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

which  it  had  been  so  hard  to  acquire,  would  only  last  a  week, 
even  with  the  strictest  economy. 

The  boatswain  was  right.  A  great  many  bears,  attracted  by 
the  scent,  were  seen  to  leeward  of  the  Forward ;  the  healthy 
men  gave  chase;  but  these  animals  are  very  swift  of  foot,  and 
crafty  enough  to  escape  most  stratagems ;  it  was  impossible 
to  get  near  them,  and  the  most  skilful  gunners  could  not  hit 
them. 

The  crew  of  the  brig  was  in  great  danger  of  dying  from  the 
cold  ;  it  could  not  withstand,  for  forty-eight  hours,  such  a  temper- 
ature as  would  exist  in  the  common-room.  Every  one  looked 
forward  with  terror  to  getting  to  the  end  of  the  fuel. 

Now  this  happened  December  20th,  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon ;  the  fire  went  out ;  the  sailors,  grouped  about  the 
empty  stove,  gazed  at  one  another  with  haggard  eyes.  Hatteras 
remained  without  moving  in  his  corner ;  the  doctor,  as  usual, 
paced  up  and  down  excitedly ;  he  did  not  know  what  was  to  be 
done. 

The  temperature  in  the  room  fell  at  once  to  — 7°. 

But  if  the  doctor  was  baffled  and  did  not  know  what  they 
should  turn  their  hands  to,  others  knew  very  well.  So  Shandon, 
cold  and  resolute.  Pen,  with  wrath  in  his  eyes,  and  two  or  three 
of  his  companions,  such  as  he  could  induce  to  accompany  him, 
walked  towards  Hatteras. 

"  Captain  !  "  said  Shandon. 

Hatteras,  absorbed  in  his  thoughts,  did  not  hear  him. 

"  Captain  !  "  repeated  Shandon,  touching  him  with  his  hand. 

Hatteras  arose. 

"  Sir,"  he  said. 

"  Captain,  the  fire  is  out." 

"  Well  % "  continued  Hatteras. 

"If  you  intend  that  we  shall  freeze  to  death,"  Shandon 
went  on  with  grim  irony,  "  we  should  be  glad  if  you  would  tell 
us." 

"  My  intention,"  answered  Hatteras  with  a  deep  voice,  "  is  that 
every  man  shall  do  his  duty  to  the  end." 

"  There  's  something  superior  to  duty.  Captain,"  answered  his 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


193 


first  officer,  "  and  that  is  the  right  of  self-preservation.  I  repeat 
it,  we  have  no  fire ;  and  if  this  goes  on,  in  two  days  not  one  of  us 
will  be  alive." 

"  I  have  no  wood,"  answered  Hatteras,  gloomily. 

"  Well,"  shouted  Pen,  violently,  "  when  the  wood  gives  out,  we 
must  go  cut  it  where  it  grows !  " 

Hatteras  grew  pale  with  anger. 

"  Where  is  that  T'  he  asked. 

"On  board,"  answered  the  sailor,  insolently. 

"  On  board  ! "  repeated  the  captain,  with  clinched  fists  and 
sparkling  eyes. 

'*  Of  course,"  answered  Pen,  "  when  the  ship  can't  carry  the 
crew,  the  ship  ought  to  be  burned." 

At  the  beginning  of  this  sentence  Hatteras  had  grasped  an 
axe  ;   at  its  end,  this  axe  was  raised  above  Pen's  head. 


"  Wretch  !  "  he  cried. 

The  doctor  sprang  in  front  of  Pen,  and  thrust  him  back ;  the 
axe  fell  on  the  floor,  making  a  deep  gash.  Johnson,  Bell,  and 
Simpson  gathered  around  Hatteras,  and  seemed  determined  to 
support  him.  But  plaintive,  grievous  cries  arose  from  the  berths, 
transformed  into  death-beds. 


194 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HAT  TEE  AS. 


"  Fire,  fire  ! "  they  cried,  shivering  beneath  their  now  insuffi- 
cient covering. 

Hatteras  by  a  violent  effort  controlled  himself,  and  after  a  few 
moments  of  silence,  he  said  calmly,  — 

"  If  we  destroy  the  ship,  how  shall  we  get  back  to  England  1 " 
"  Sir,"  answered  Johnson,  "  perhaps  we  can  without  doing  any 
material  damage  burn  the  less  important  parts,  the  bulwarks,  the 
nettings  —  " 

"  The  small  boats  will  be  left,"  said  Shandon ;  "  and  besides, 
why  might  we  not  make  a  smaller  vessel  out  of  what  is  left  of  the 
old  one]" 

"  Never ! "  answered  Hatteras. 

"  But  —  "  interposed  many  of  the  men,  shouting  together. 
"We  have  a  large  quantity  of  spirits  of  wine,"  suggested  Hat- 
teras ;  "  burn  all  of  that." 

"All  right;  we'll  take  the  spirits  of  wine!"  answered  John- 
son, assuming  an  air  of  confidence  which  he  was  far  from  feeling. 
And  with  the  aid  of  long  wicks,  dipped  into  this  liquid  of  which 
the  pale  flame  licked  the  walls  of  the  stove,  he  was  able  to  raise 
the  temperature  of  the  room  a  few  degrees. 

In  the  following  days  the  wind  came  from  the  south  again  and 
the  thermometer  rose ;  the  snow,  however,  kept  falling.  Some 
of  the  men  were  able  to  leave  the  -ship  for  the  driest  hours  of 
the  day ;  but  ophthalmia  and  scurvy  kept  most  of  them  on  board  ; 
besides,  neither  hunting  nor  fishing  was  possible. 

But  this  was  only 
a  respite  in  the  fear- 
ful severity  of  the 
cold,  and  on  the 
25th,  after  a  sudden 
change  of  wind,  the 
frozen  mercury  dis- 
appeared again  in 
the  bulb  of  the 
instrument  ;  then 
they  had  to  consult 
the  spirit-thermom- 
eter, which  does  not  freeze  even  in  the  most  intense  colds. 


He  was  armed,  and  he  kept  constant  guard,  without  minding  the  cold,  the  snow, 
or  the  ice."  —  Page  195. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  195 

The  doctor,  to  his  great  surprise,  found  it  marking  — 66°. 
Seldom  has  man  been  called  upon  to  endure  so  low  a  tem- 
perature. 

The  ice  stretched  in  long,  dark  lines  upon  the  floor ;  a  dense 
mist  filled  the  room ;  the  dampness  fell  in  the  form  of  thick 
snow ;  the  men  could  not  see  one  another ;  their  extremities  grew 
cold  and  blue ;  their  heads  felt  as  if  they  \vore  an  iron  band ;  and 
their  thoughts  grew  confused  and  dull,  as  if  they  were  half 
delirious.  A  terrible  symptom  was  that  their  tongues  refused 
to  articulate  a  sound. 

From  the  day  the  men  threatened  to  burn  the  ship,  Hatteras 
would  walk  for  hours  upon  the  deck,  keeping  watch.  This  wood 
was  flesh  and  blood  to  him.  Cutting  a  piece  from  it  would  have 
been  like  cutting  off  a  limb.  He  was  armed,  and  he  kept  con- 
stant guard,  without  minding  the  cold,  the  snow,  or  the  ice,  which 
Btifi^ened  his  clothing  as  if  it  covered  it  with  a  granite  cuirass. 
Duke  understood  him,  and  followed  him,  barking  and  howl- 
ing. 

Nevertheless,  December  25th  he  went  down  into  the  common- 
room.  The  doctor,  with  all  the  energy  he  had  left,  went  up  to 
him  and  said,  — 

"  Hatteras,  we  are  going  to  die  from  want  of  fire  ! " 

"  Never  ! "  said  Hatteras,  knowing  very  well  what  request  he 
was  refusing. 

*'  We  must,"  continued  the  doctor,  mildly. 

"  Never  !  "  repeated  Hatteras  more  firmly  ;  "  I  shall  never  give 
my  consent !     Whoever  wishes,  may  disobey  me." 

Thus  was  permission  given  them.  Johnson  and  Bell  hastened 
to  the  deck.  Hatteras  heard  the  wood  of  the  brig  crashing  under 
the  axe,  and  wept. 

That  was  Christmas  Day,  the  great  family  festival  in  England, 
one  specially  devoted  to  the  amusement  of  the  children.  What 
a  painful  recollection  was  that  of  the  happy  children  gathered 
about  the  green  Christmas  tree  !  Every  one  recalled  the  huge 
pieces  of  roast  meat,  cut  from  the  fattened  ox,  and  the  tarts,  the 
mince-pies,  and  other  luxuries  so  dear  to  the  English  heart  !  But 
here  was  nothing  but  suffering,  despair,  and  wretchedness,  and 


196  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

for  the  Christmas  log,  these  pieces  of  a  ship  lost  in  the  middle  of 
the  frigid  zone ! 

Nevertheless,  under  the  genial  influence  of  the  fire,  the  spirits 
and  strength  of  the  men  returned ;  the  hot  tea  and  coffee  brought 
great  and  immediate  consolation,  and  hope  is  so  firm  a  friend  of 
man,  that  they  even  began  to  hope  for  some  luckier  fate.  It  was 
thus  that  the  year  1860  passed  away,  the  early  winter  of  which 
had  so  interfered  with  Hatteras's  plans. 

Now  it  happened  that  this  very  New  Year's  Day  was  marked 
by  an  unexpected  discovery.  It  was  a  little  milder  than  the 
previous  days  had  been ;  the  doctor  had  resumed  his  studies ;  he 
was  reading  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  account  of  his  expedition  in  the 
polar  regions.  Suddenly,  a  passage  which  he  had  never  noticed 
before  filled  him  with  astonishment ;  he  read  it  over  again ;  doubt 
was  no  longer  possible. 

Sir  Edward  Belcher  states  that,  having  come  to  the  end  of 
Queen's  Channel,  he  found  there  many  traces  of  the  presence  of 
men.     He  says  :  — 

'*  There  are  remains  of  dwellings  far  superior  to  what  can  be 
attributed  to  the  savage  habits  of  the  wandering  tribes  of  Esqui- 
maux. The  walls  are  firmly  placed  on  deep-dug  foundations ;  the 
inside,  covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  gravel,  has  been  paved.  Skel- 
etons of  moose,  reindeer,  and  seals  abound.    We  found  coal  there." 

At  these  last  words  an  idea  occurred  to  the  doctor ;  he  took  his 
book  and  ran  to  tell  Hatteras. 

"  Coal !  "  shouted  the  captain. 

"  Yes,  Hatteras,  coal ;  that  is  to  say,  our  preservation ! " 

"  Coal,  on  this  lonely  shore  !  "  continued  Hatteras ;  "  no,  that 's 
impossible ! " 

"Jlowcan  you  doubt  it,  Hatteras?  Belcher  would  not  have 
mentioned  it  if  he  had  not  been  sure,  without  having  seen  it  with 
his  own  eyes." 

"Well,  what  then,  Doctor r' 

"  We  are  not  a  hundred  miles  from  the  place  where  Belcher 
saw  this  coal !  What  is  a  journey  of  a  hundred  miles  1  Nothing. 
Longer  expeditions  have  often  been  made  on  the  ice,  and  with  the 
cold  as  intense.     Let  us  go  after  it.  Captain  ! " 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  197 

"  We  '11  go  ! "  said  Hatteras,  who  had  made  up  his  mind 
quickly ;  and  with  his  active  imagination  he  saw  the  chance 
of  safety. 

Johnson  was  informed  of  the  plan,  of  which  he  approved  highly; 
he  told  his  companions ;  some  rejoiced,  others  heard  of  it  with  in- 
difference. 

"  Coal  on  these  shores  ! "  said  Wall  from  his  sick-bed. 

"  We  '11  let  them  go,"  answered  Shandon,  mysteriously. 

But  before  they  had  begun  to  make  preparations  for  the  trip, 
Hatteras  wanted  to  fix  the  position  of  the  Forward  with  the  ut- 
most exactitude.  The  importance  of  this  calculation  it  is  easy  to 
see.  Once  away  from  the  ship,  it  could  not  be  found  again  with- 
out knowing  its  position  precisely. 

So  Hatteras  went  up  on  deck ;  he  took  observations  at  differ- 
ent moments  of  several  lunar  distances,  and  the  altitude  of  the 
principal  stars.  He  found,  however,  much  difficulty  in  doing  this, 
for  when  the  temperature  was  so  low,  the  glass  and  the  mirrors 
of  the  instrument  were  covered  with  a  crust  of  ice  from  Hatteras's 
breath ;  more  than  once  his  eyelids  were  burned  by  touching  the 
copper  eye-pieces.  Still,  he  was  able  to  get  very  exact  bases  for 
his  calculations,  and  he  returned  to  the  common-room  to  work 
them  out.  When  he  had  finished,  he  raised  his  head  with  stupe- 
faction, took  his  chart,  marked  it,  and  looked  at  the  doctor. 

"WelU"  asked  the  latter. 

"  What  was  our  latitude  when  we  went  into  winter-quarters  *? " 

"Our  latitude  was  78°  15',  and  the  longitude  95°  35',  exactly 
the  pole  of  cold." 

"Well,"  added  Hatteras  in  alow  voice,  "our  ice-field  is  drift- 
ing !  We  are  two  degrees  farther  north  and  farther  west,  —  at 
least  three  hundred  miles  from  your  coal-supply  ! " 

"  And  these  poor  men  who  know  nothing  about  it ! "  cried  the 
doctor. 

"  Not  a  word  ! "  said  Hatteras,  raising  his  finger  to  his  lips. 


SI 


198  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  DEPARTURE. 

Hatteras  did  not  wish  to  let  his  crew  know  about  this  new 
condition  of  affairs.  He  was  right.  If  they  had  known  that  they 
were  being  driven  towards  the  north  with  irresistible  force,  thev 
would  have  given  way  to  despair.  The  doctor  knew  this,  and 
approved  of  the  captain's  silence. 

Hatteras  had  kept  to  himself  the  impressions  which  this  dis- 
covery had  caused  within  him.  It  was  his  first  moment  of  joy 
during  these  long  months  of  struggle  with  the  hostile  elements. 
He  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  farther  north ;  hardly  eiglit 
degrees  from  the  Pole  !  But  he  hid  his  joy  so  well  that  the  doctor 
did  not  even  suspect  it ;  he  asked  himself  why  Hatteras's  eye 
shone  with  so  unusual  a  lustre  ;  but  that  was  all,  and  the  natural 
reply  to  this  question  did  not  enter  his  head. 

The  Fwwardj  as  it  approached  the  Pole,  had  drifted  away  from 
the  coal  which  had  been  seen  by  Sir  Edward  Belcher ;  instead  of 
a  hundred  miles,  it  would  have  to  be  sought  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  farther  south.  Still,  after  a  short  discussion  between 
Hatteras  and  Clawbonny,  they  determined  to  make  the  attempt. 

If  Belcher  was  right,  and  his  accuracy  could  not  be  doubted, 
they  would  find  everything  just  at  he  had  left  it.  Since  1853, 
no  new  expedition  had  visited  these  remote  continents.  Few,  if 
any,  Esquimaux  are  found  in  this  latitude.  The  disaster  which 
had  befallen  at  Beechey  Island  could  not  be  repeated  on  the 
shores  of  North  Cornwall.  Everything  seemed  to  favor  an  ex- 
cursion across  the  ice. 

They  estimated  that  they  would  be  gone  forty  days  at  the  out- 
side, and  preparations  were  made  by  Johnson  for  that  time  of 
absence. 

In  the  first  place,  he  saw  about  the  sledge ;  it  was  of  the  shape 
of  those  used  in  Greenland,  thirty-five  inches  broad  and  twenty- 


TSE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


199 


four  feet  long.  The  Esquimaux  sometimes  make  them  fifty  feet 
long.  It  was  built  of  long  planlis,  bent  at  each  end,  and  kept  in 
position  by  two  strong  cords.  This  shape  adapted  it  to  resist 
violent  shocks.  The  sledge  ran  easily  upon  the  ice ;  but  before 
the  snow  had  hardened,  it  was  necessary  to  place  two  vertical 
frames  near  together,  and  being  raised  in  this  way,  it  could  run 
on  without  cutting  too  much  into  the  snow.  Besides,  by  rubbing 
it  with  a  mixture  of  sulphur  and  snow  in  the  Esquimaux  fashion, 
it  ran  very  easily. 

It  was  drawn  by 
six  dogs ;  they  were 
strong  in  spite  of 
their  thinness,  and 
did  not  appear  to 
be  injured  by  the 
severity  of  the  win- 
ter ;  the  harnesses 
of  deerskin  were  in 
good  condition ;  per- 
fect  reliance    could 

be  placed  on  the  equipment,  which  the  Greenlanders  at  Uper- 
navik  had  sold  in  conscience.  These  six  animals  alone  could  draw 
a  weight  of  two  thousand  pounds  without  inordinate  fatigue. 

They  carried  with  them  a  tent,  in  case  it-  should  be  impossible 
to  build  a  snow-house;  a  large  sheet  of  mackintosh  to  spread  over 
the  snow,  so  that  it  should  not  melt  at  contact  with  their  bodies; 
and,  last  of  all,  many  coverings  of  wool  and  buffalo-skin.  In 
addition,  they  carried  the  Halkett-boat. 

Their  provisions  consisted  of  five  chests  of  pemmican,  weighing 
four  hundred  and  fifty  pounds ;  a  pound  of  pemmican  was  allotted 
for  each  man  and  dog ;  of  the  latter  there  were  seven,  including 
Duke  ;  there  were  to  be  four  men.  They  carried,  besides,  twelve 
gallons  of  spirits  of  wine,  w^eighing  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  ;  tea  and  biscuit,  in  proper  amounts ;  a  little  portable 
kitchen,  with  a  great  many  wicks  ;  and  much  tow,  ammunition, 
and  four  double-barrelled  guns.  The  men  of  the  party  made  use 
of  Captain  Parry's  invention,  and  wore  girdles  of  india-rubber  in 


200  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

which  the  heat  of  the  body  and  the  motion  in  walking  could  keep 
tea,  coffee,  and  water  in  a  liquid  state. 

Johnson  took  special  care  of  the  preparation  of  snow-shoes, 
with  their  wooden  frames  and  leathern  straps  ;  they  served  as 
skates  ;  on  thoroughly  frozen  spots  deerskin  moccasins  could  be 
worn  with  comfort ;  every  man  carried  two  pairs  of  each. 

These  preparations,  which  were  so  important  because  the  omis- 
sion of  a  single  detail  might  have  caused  the  ruin  of  the  whole 
expedition,  required  four  whole  days.  Every  day  at  noon  Hat- 
teras  took  an  observation  of  the  ship's  position ;  it  was  no  longer 
drifting,  and  this  had  to  be  perfectly  sure  in  order  to  secure  their 
return. 

Hatteras  undertook  to  choose  the  four  men  who  were  to  accom- 
pany him.  It  was  not  an  easy  decision  to  take ;  some  it  was  not 
advisable  to  take,  but  then  the  question  of  leaving  them  on  board 
had  also  to  be  considered.  Still,  the  common  safety  demanded 
the  success  of  this  trip,  and  the  captain  deemed  it  right  to  choose 
sure  and  experienced  men. 

Hence  Shandon  was  left  out,  but  not  much  to  his  regret. 
James  Wall  was  too  ill  to  go.  The  sick  grew  no  worse ;  their 
treatment  consisted  of  repeated  rubbing  and  strong  doses  of 
lemon-juice ;  this  was  easily  seen  to  without  th«  presence  of  the 
doctor  being  essential.  Hence  he  enrolled  himself  among  those 
who  should  go,  and  no  voice  was  raised  against  it.  Johnson  would 
have  gladly  gone  with  the  captain  in  his  dangerous  expedition ; 
but  Hatteras  drew  him  to  one  side  and  said  to  him  in  an  affec- 
tionate, almost  weeping  voice,  — 

"Johnson,  you  are  the  only  man  I  can  trust.  You  are  the 
only  officer  with  whom  I  can  leave  the  ship.  I  must  know  that 
you  are  here  to  keep  an  eye  on  Shandon  and  the  others.  They 
are  kept  to  the  ship  by  the  winter ;  but  who  can  say  what  plans 
they  are  not  capable^ of  forming  1  You  shall  receive  my  formal 
instructions,  which  shall  place  the  command  in  your  hands.  You 
shall  take  my  place.  We  shall  be  absent  four  or  five  weeks  at 
the  most,  and  I  shall  be  at  ease  having  you  here  where  I  cannot 
be.  You  need  wood,  Johnson.  I  know  it !  But,  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, spare  my  ship.     Do  you  understand,  Johnson  1 " 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  201 

"I  understand,  Captain,"  answered  the  old  sailor,  "and  I  will 
remain  if  you  prefer  it." 

"  Thanks  !  "  said  Hatteras,  pressing  the  boatswain's  hand ;  and 
he  added,  "  In  case  we  don't  come  back,  Johnson,  wait  till  the 
next  thaw,  and  try  to  push  on  to  the  Pole.  If  the  rest  refuse, 
don't  think  of  us,  but  take  the  Forward  back  to  England." 

"  That  is  your  wish.  Captain  1 " 

"  It  is,"  answered  Hatteras. 

"  Your  orders  shall  be  obeyed,"  said  Johnson,  quietly. 

The  doctor  regretted  that  his  friend  was  not  going  to  accom- 
pany him,  but  he  was  obliged  to  recognize  the  wisdom  of  Hat- 
teras's  plan. 

His  two  other  companions  were  Bell  the  carpenter,  and  Simp- 
son. The  first,  who  was  sturdy,  brave,  and  devoted,  would  be 
of  great  service  in  their  camping  in  the  snow ;  the  other, 
although  less  resolute,  nevertheless  determined  to  take  part 
in  this  expedition  in  which  he  might  be  of  use  as  hunter  and 
fisher. 

So  this  detachment  consisted  of  Hatteras,  Clawbonny,  Bell, 
Simpson,  and  the  faithful  Duke,  making  in  all  four  men  and 
seven  dogs  to  be  fed.  A  suitable  amount  of  provisions  was  made 
ready. 

During  the  early  days  of  January  the  mean  temperature  was 
—33°.  Hatteras  waited  impatiently  for  milder  weather  ;  he  fre- 
quently consulted  the  barometer,  but  no  confidence  could  be 
placed  in  this  instrument,  which  in  these  high  latitudes  seems  to 
lose  some  of  its  customary  accuracy ;  in  these  regions  there  are 
many  exceptions  to  the  general  laws  of  nature  :  for  instance,  a 
clear  sky  was  not  always  accompanied  by  cold,  nor  did  a  fall  of 
snow  raise  the  temperature  ;  the  barometer  was  uncertain,  as 
many  explorers  in  these  seas  have  noticed ;  it  used  to  fall  when 
the  wind  was  from  the  north  or  east ;  when  low  it  foretold  fine 
weather ;  when  high,  rain  or  snow.  Hence  its  indications  could 
hardly  be  relied  on. 

Finally,  January  5th  an  easterly  breeze  brought  with  it  a  rise 
in  the  thermometer  of  fifteen  degrees,  so  that  it  stood  at  — 18°. 
Hatteras  resolved  to  start  the  next  day ;  he  could  no  longer  en- 


202  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

dure  seeing  his  ship  torn  to  pieces  before  his  eyes;  the  whole 
quarter-deck  had  been  burned  up. 

So,  January  6th,  amid  squalls  of  snow,  the  order  to  depart  was 
given ;  the  doctor  gave  his  last  words  of  advice  to  the  sick ;  Bell 
and  Simpson  shook  hands  silently  with  their  companions.  Hat- 
teras  wanted  to  make  a  farewell  speech  to  the  men,  but  he  saw 
nothing  but  angry  faces  around  him.  He  fancied  he  saw  an  iron- 
ical smile  playing  about  Shandon's  lips.  He  held  his  peace. 
Perhaps  he  had  a  momentary  pang  at  parting  as  he  gazed  at  the 
Forward. 

But  it  was  too  late  for  him  to  change  his  mmd ;  the  sledge, 
loaded  and  harnessed,  was  waiting  on  the  Ice ;  Bell  was  the  first 
to  move ;  the  others  followed.  Johnson  accompanied  the  travellers 
for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ;  then  Hatteras  asked  him  to  return, 
which  he  did  after  a  long  leave-taking.  At  that  moment,  Hat- 
teras, turning  for  the  last  time  towards  the  brig,  saw  the  tops  of 
her  masts  disappearing  in  the  dark  snow-clouds. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

ACROSS    THE   ICE-FIELDS. 

The  little  band  made  their  way  towards  the  southeast.  Simp- 
son drove  the  sledge.  Duke  aided  him  much,  without  being  dis- 
turbed at  the  occupation  of  his  mates.  Hatteras  and  the  doctor 
followed  behind  on  foot,  while  Bell,  who  was  charged  with  making 
a  road,  went  on  in  advance,  testing  the  ice  with  the  iron  point  of 
his  stick. 

The  rise  in  the  thermometer  foretold  a  fall  of  snow,  and  soon  it 
came,  beginning  in  large  flakes.  This  added  to  the  hardships  of 
their  jonrpey ;  they  kept  straying  from  a  straight  line;  they 
could  not  go  quickly ;  nevertheless,  they  averaged  three  miles  an 
hour. 

The  ice-field,  under  the  pressure  of  the  frost,  presented  an  un- 
equal surface ;  the  sledge  was  often  nearly  turned  over,  but  they 
succeeded  in  saving  it. 


'  The  little  band  made  their  way  towards  the  southeast."  —  Page  202. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  203 

Hatteras  and  his  companions  wrapped  themselves  up  in  their  ^ 
fur  clothes  cut  in  the  Greenland  fashion ;  they  were  not  cut  with 
extraordinary  neatness,  but  they  suited  the  needs  of  the  climate  ; 
their  faces  were  enclosed  in  a  narrow  hood  which  could  not  be 
penetrated  by  the  snow  or  wind ;  their  mouths,  noses,  and  eyes 
were  alone  exposed  to  the  air,  and  they  did  not  need  to  be  pro- 
tected against  it ;  nothing  is  so  inconvenient  as  scarfs  and  nose- 
protectors,  which  soon  are  stiff  with  ice ;  at  night  they  have  to  be 
cut  away,  which,  even  in  the  arctic  seas,  is  a  poor  way  of  un- 
dressing. It  was  necessary  to  leave  free  passage  for  the  breath, 
which  would  freeze  at  once  on  anything  it  met. 

The  boundless  plain  stretched  out  with  tiresome  monotony; 
everywhere  there  appeared  heaped-up  ice-hills,  hummocks,  blocks, 
and  icebergs,  separated  by  winding  valleys ;  they  walked  staiF  in 
hand,  saying  but  little.  In  this  cold  atmosphere,  to  open  the 
mouth  was  painful ;  sharp  crystals  of  ice  suddenly  formed  be- 
tween the  lips,  and  the  heat  of  the  breath  could  not  melt  them. 
Their  progress  was  silent,  and  every  one  beat  the  ice  with  his 
staff.  Bell's  footsteps  were  visible  in  the  fresh  snow  ;  they  fol- 
lowed them  mechanically,  and  where  he  had  passed,  the  others 
could  go  safely. 

Numerous  tracks  of  bears  and  foxes  crossed  one  another  every- 
where ;  but  during  this  first  day  not  one  could  be  seen  ;  to  chase 
them  would  have  been  dangerous  an^  useless  :  they  would  only 
have  overloaded  the  already  heavy  sledge. 

Generally,  in  excursions  of  this  sort,  travellers  take  the  precau- 
tion of  leaving  supplies  along  their  path ;  they  hide  them  from 
the  animals,  in  the  snow,  thus  lightening  themselves  for  their 
trip,  and  on  their  return  they  take  the  supplies  which  they  did 
not  have  the  trouble  of  carrying  with  them. 

Hatteras  could  not  employ  this  device  on  an  ice-field  which 
perhaps  was  moving ;  on  firm  land  it  would  have  been  possible ; 
and  the  uncertainty  of  their  route  made  it  doubtful  whether  they 
would  return  by  the  same  path. 

At  noon,  Hatteras  halted  his  little  troop  in  the  shelter  of  an 
ice-wall ;  they  dined  oft'  pemmican  and  hot  tea ;  the  strengthen- 
ing qualities  of  this  beverage  produced  general  comfort,  and  the 

32 


204 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


travellers  drank  a  large  quantity.  After  an  hour's  rest  they 
started  on  again;  in  the  first  day  they  walked  about  twenty 
miles ;  that  evening  men  and  dogs  were  tired  out. 

Stil],  in  spite  of  their  fatigue,  they  had  to  build  a  snow-house 
in  which  to  pass  the  night ;  the  tent  would  not  have  been  enough. 
This  took  them  an  hour  and  a  half.  Bell  was  very  skilful;  the 
blocks  of  ice,  which  w^ere  cut  with  a  knife,  were  placed  on  top  of 
one  another  with  astonishing  rapidity,  and  they  took  the  shape 
of  a  dome,  and  a  last  piece,  the  keystone  of  the  arch,  established 
the  solidity  of  the  building ;  the  soft  snow  served  as  mortar  in 
the  interstices ;  it  soon  hardened  and  made  the  whole  building  of 
a  single  piece. 

Access  was  had  into  this  improvised  grotto  by  means  of  a  nar- 
row opening,  through 
which  it  was  neces- 
sary to  crawl  on  one's 
liands  and  knees;  the 
doctor  found  some 
difficulty  in  enter- 
ing, and  the  others 
followed.  Sapper  was 
soon  prepared  on  the 
alcohol  cooking-stove. 
The  temperature  in- 
side was  very  comfortable ;  the  wind,  which  was  raging  without, 
could  not  get  in. 

"  Sit  down  ! "  soon  shouted  the  doctor  in  his  most  genial  man- 
ner. 

And  this  meal,  though  the  same  as  the  dinner,  was  shared  by 
all.  When  it  was  finished  their  only  thought  was  sleep;  the 
mackintoshes,  spread  out  upon  the  snow,  protected  them  from  tlie 
dampness.  At  the  flame  of  the  portable  stove  they  dried  their 
clothes ;  then  three  of  them,  wrapped  up  in  their  woollen  cover- 
ings, fell  asleep,  while  one  was  left  on  watch  ;  he  had  to  keep  a 
lookout  on  the  safety  of  all,  and  to  prevent  the  opening  from 
being  closed,  otherwise  they  ran  a  risk  of  being  buried  alive. 
Duke  shared  their  quarters ;  the  other  dogs  remained  without, 


THE  ENGLISH.  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  205 

and  after  they  had  eaten  their  supper  they  lay  down  and  were 
soon  hidden  by  the  snow. 

Their  fatigue  soon  brought  sound  sleep.  The  doctor  took  the 
^atch  until  three  of  the  morning.  In  the  night  the  hurricane 
raged  furiously.  Strange  was  the  situation  of  these  lonely  men 
lost  in  the  snow,  enclosed  in  this  vault  with  its  walls  rapidly 
thickening  under  the  snow-fall. 

The  next  morning  at  six  o'clock  their  monotonous  march  was 
resumed ;  there  were  ever  before  them  the  same  valleys  and 
icebergs,  a  uniformity  which  made  the  choice  of  a  path  difficult. 
Still,  a  fall  of  several  degrees  in  the  temperature  made  their  way 
easier  by  hardening  the  snow.  Often  they  came  across  little 
elevations,  which  looked  like  cairns  or  storing-places  of  the  Esqui- 
maux ;  the  doctor  had  one  destroyed  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  but 
he  found  nothing  except  a  cake  of  ice. 

"  What  do  you  expect  to  find,  Clawbonny  '\ "  asked  Hatteras  ; 
"are  we  not  the  first  men  to  penetrate  into  this  part  of  the 
globe  ] " 

"Probably,"  answered  the  doctor,  "  but  who  knows]" 

"  Don't  let  us  waste  our  time  in  useless  searching,"  resumed 
the  captain  ;  "  I  am  in  a  hurry  to  rejoin  the  ship,  even  if  this 
long- wanted  fuel  should  not  be  found." 

"  I  have  great  hopes  of  finding  it,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  Doctor,"  Hatteras  used  to  say  frequently,  "I  did  wrong  to 
leave  the  Forward;  it  was  a  mistake  !  The  captain's  place  is  on 
board,  and  nowhere  else." 

"  Johnson  is  there." 

"  Yes  !  but  —  let  us  hurry  on  !  " 

They  advanced  rapidly ;  Simpson's  voice  could  be  heard  urging 
on  the  dogs ;  they  ran  along  on  a  brilliant  surface,  all  aglow  with 
a  phosphorescent  light,  and  the  runners  of  the  sledge  seemed  to 
toss  up  a  shower  of  sparks.  The  doctor  ran  on  ahead  to  examine 
this  snow,  when  suddenly,  as  he  was  trying  to  jump  upon  a 
hummock,  he  disappeared  from  sight.  Bell,  who  was  near  him, 
ran  at  once  towards  the  place. 

"  Well,  Doctor,"  he  cried  anxiously,  while  Hatteras  and  Simpson 
joined  him,  "  where  are  you  1 " 


206  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  EATTERAS. 

"  Doctor !  "  shouted  the  captain. 

"  Down  here,  at  the  bottom  of  a  hole,"  was  the  quiet  answer. 
"  Throw  me  a  piece  of  rope,  and  I  '11  come  up  to  the  surface  of  the 
globe." 

They  threw  a  rope  down  to  the  doctor,  who  was  at  the  bottom 
of  a  pit  about  ten  feet  deep ;  he  fastened  it  about  his  waist,  and 
his  three  companions  drew  him  up  with  some  difficulty. 

"  Are  you  hurt  %  "  asked  Hatteras. 

"  No,  there  's  no  harm  done,"  answered  the  doctor,  wiping  the 
snow  from  his  smiling  face. 

"But  how  did  it  happen r' 

"0,  it  was  in  consequence  of  the  refraction,"  he  answered, 
laughing ;  "  I  thought  I  had  about  a  foot  to  step  over,  and  I  fell 
into  this  deep  hole  !  These  optical  illusions  are  the  only  ones 
left  me,  my  friends,  and  it 's  hard  to  escape  from  them !  Let 
that  be  a  lesson  to  us  all  never  to  take  a  step  forward  without 
first  testing  the  ice  with  a  staff,  for  our  senses  cannot  be  depended 
on.  Here  our  ears  hear  wrong,  and  our  eyes  deceive  us  !  It 's  a 
curious  country !  " 

"  Can  you  go  on  ■? "  asked  the  captain. 

"  Go  on,  Hatteras,  go  on  !  This  little  fall  has  done  me  more 
good  than  harm." 

They  resumed  their  march  to  the  southeast,  and  at  evening 
they  halted^  after  walking  about  twenty-five  miles ;  they  were  all 
tired,  but  still  the  doctor  had  energy  enough  to  ascend  an  ice- 
mountain  while  the  snow-hut  was  building. 

The  moon,  which  was  nearly  at  its  full,  shone  with  extraor- 
dinary brilliancy  in  a  clear  sky ;  the  stars  were  wonderfully  bril- 
liant ;  from  the  top  of  the  iceberg  a  boundless  plain  could  be  seen, 
which  was  covered  with  strangely  formed  hillocks  of  ice ;  in  the 
moonlight  they  looked  like  fallen  columns  or  overthrown  tomb- 
stones ;  the  scene  reminded  the  doctor  of  a  huge,  silent  graveyard 
barren  of  trees,  in  which  twenty  generations  of  human  beings 
might  be  lying  in  their  I  ng  sleep. 

In  spite  of  the  cold  and  fatigue,  Clawbonny  remained  for  a 
long  time  in  a  revery,  from  which  it  w^as  no  easy  task  for  his 
companions  to  arouse  him;  but  they  had  to  think  of  resting;  the 


The  doctor  had  energy  enough  to  ascend  an  ice-mountain  while  the  snow-hut 
was  building."  —  Page  206. 


% 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


207 


suow-hut  was   completed ;    the   four   travellers   crawled   in   like 
moles,  and  soon  were  all  asleep. 

The  following  days  went  on  without  any  particular  incident ; 
at  times  they  went  on  slowly,  at  times  quickly,  with  varying  ease, 
according  to  the  changes  in  the  weather ;  they  wore  moccasins  or 
snow-shoes,  as  the  nature  of  the  ice  demanded. 

In  this  way  they  went  on  till  January  15th;  the  moon,  now  in 
its  last  quarter,  was  hardly  visible;  the  sun,  although  always 
beneath  the  horizon,  gave  a  sort  of  twilight  for  six  hours  every 
day,  but  not  enough 
to  light  up  the  route, 
which  had  to  be  di- 
rected by  the  com- 
pass. Then  Bell 
went  on  ahead ;  Hat- 
teras  followed  next; 
Simpson  and  the  doc- 
tor sought  also  to 
keep  in  a  straight  line 
behind,  with  their 
eyes  on  Hatteras 
alone ;  and  yet,  in  spite  of  all  their  efforts,  they  often  got 
thirty  or  forty  degrees  from  the  right  way,  much  to  their  an- 
noyance. 

Sunday,  January  15th,  Hatteras  judged  that  they  had  come 
about  one  hundred  miles  to  the  south ;  this  morning  was  set 
aside  to  mending  their  clothes  afJd  materials;  the  reading  of 
divine  service  was  not  forgotten. 

At  noon  they  started  again ;  the  temperature  was  very  low ; 
the  thermometer  marked  only  — 22° ;  the  air  was  very  clear. 

Suddenly,  without  warning,  a  frozen  vapor  arose  into  the  air 
from  the  ice,  to  a  height  of  about  ninety  feet,  and  hung  motion- 
less ;  no  one  could  see  a  foot  before  him ;  this  vapor  formed  in 
long,  sharp  crystals  upon  their  clothing. 

The  travellers,  surprised  by  this  phenomenon,  which  is  called 
frost-rime,  only  thought  of  getting  together;  so  immediately 
various  shouts  were  heard :  — 


208  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

"0  Simpson!" 

"  Bell,  this  way ! " 

"  Dr.  Clawbonny  ! " 

"  Doctor ! " 

"  Captain,  where  are  you  ? " 

They  began  to  look  for  one  another  with  outstretched  arms, 
wandering  through  the  fog  whicii  their  eyes  could  not  pierce. 
But  to  their  disappointment  they  could  hear  no  answer;  the 
vapor  seemed  incapable  of  carrying  sound. 

Each  one  then  thought  of  firing  his  gun  as  a  signal  to  the 
others.  But  if  their  voices  were  too  feeble,  the  reports  of  the 
fire-arras  were  too  loud ;  for  the  echoes,  repeated  in  every  direc- 
tion, made  but  a  confused  roar,  in  which  no  particular  direction 
could  be  perceived. 

Then  they  began  to  act,  each  one  as  he  thought  best.  Hat- 
teras  stood  still  and  folded  his  arms.  Simpson  contented  himself 
with  stopping  the  sledge.  Bell  retraced  his  steps,  feeling  them 
with  his  hand.  The  doctor,  stumbling  over  the  blocks  of  ice, 
wandered  here  and  there,  getting  more  and  more  bewildered. 

At  the  end  of  five  minutes  he  said  to  himself,  — 

"  This  can't  last  long  !  Singular  climate  !  This  is  too  much  ! 
There  is  nothing  to  help  us,  without  speaking  of  these  sharp  crys- 
tals which  cut  my  face.     Halloo,  Captain  ! "  he  shouted  again. 

But  he  heard  no  answer ;  he  fired  his  gun,  but  in  spite  of  his 
thick  gloves  the  iron  burned  his  hands.  Meanwhile  he  thought 
'  he  saw  a  confused  mass  moving  near  him. 

"  There 's  some  one,"  he  said.  "  Platteras  !  Bell !  Simpson !  Is 
that  you  ?     Come,  answer  !  " 

A  dull  roar  was  alone  heard. 

"  Ah  !  "  thought  the  doctor,  "  what  is  that  % " 

The  object  approached  ;  it  lost  its  first  size  and  appeared  in 
more  definite  shape.  A  terrible  thought  flashed  into  the  doctor's 
mind. 

"  A  bear  !  "  he  said  to  himself 

In  fact,  it  was  a  huge  bear ;  lost  in  the  fog,  it  came  and  went 
with  great  danger  to  the  men,  whose  presence  it  certainly  did 
not  suspect. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  209 

"  Matters  are  growing  complicated ! "  thought  the  doctor, 
standing  still. 

Sometimes  he  felt  the  animal's  breath,  which  was  soon  lost  in 
the  frost-rime;  again  he  would  see  the  monster's  huge  paws 
beating  the  air  so  near  him  that  his  clothes  were  occasionally 
torn  by  its  sharp  claws ;  he  jumped  back,  and  the  animal  disap- 
peared like  a  phantasmagoric  spectre. 

But  as  he  sprang  back  lie  found  an  elevation  beneath  his  feet ; 
he  climbed  up  first  one  block  of  ice,  then  another,  feeling  his  way 
with  his  staff. 

"An  iceberg  !  "  he  said  to  himself;  "  if  I  can  get  to  the  top  I 
am  safe." 


With  these  words  he  climbed  up  an  elevation  of  about  ninety 
feet  with  surprising  agility ;  he  arose  above  the  frozen  mist,  the 
top  of  which  was  sharply  defined, 

''  Good  !  "  he  said  to  himself;  and  looking  about  him  he  saw  his 
three  companions  emerging  from  the  vapor. 

"  Hatteras !  " 

"  Dr.  Clawbonny  !  " 

"  Bell ! " 

"  Simpson !  " 
S3 


210  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS, 

These  names  were  shouted  out  almost  at  the  same  time ;  the 
sky,  lit  up  by  a  magnificent  halo,  sent  forth  pale  rays  which 
colored  the  frost-rime  as  if  it  were  a  cloud,  and  the  top  of  the 
icebergs  seemed  to  rise  from  a  mass  of  molten  silver.  The  trav- 
ellers found  themselves  within  a  circle  of  less  than  a  hundred 
feet  in  diameter.  Thanks  to  the  purity  of  the  air  in  this  upper 
layer  in  this  low  temperature,  their  words  could  be  easily  heard, 
and  they  were  able  to  talk  on  the  top  of  this  iceberg.  After  the 
first  shots,  each  one,  hearing  no  answer,  had  only  thought  of 
climbing  above  the  mist. 

"  The  sledge  !  "  shouted  the  captain. 

"  It 's  eighty  feet  beneath  us,"  answered  Simpson. 

"  Is  it  all  right  ] " 

"  All  right." 

"  And  the  bear  1 "  asked  the  doctor. 

"What  bear?"  said  Bell. 

"  A  bear !  "  said  Hatteras ;  "  let 's  go  down." 

"  No  ! "  said  the  doctor;  "  we  shall  lose  our  way,  and  have  to 
begin  it  all  over  again." 

"  And  if  he  eats  our  dogs  —  "  said  Hatteras. 

At  that  moment  Duke  was  heard  barking,  the  sound  rising 
through  the  mist. 

"  That 's  Duke  !  "  shouted  Hatteras ;  "  there 's  something  wrong. 
I  'm  going  down." 

All  sorts  of  howling  arose  to  their  ears ;  Duke  and  the  dogs 
were  barking  furiously.  The  noise  sounded  like  a  dull  murmur, 
like  the  roar  of  a  crowded,  noisy  room.  They  knew  that  some 
invisible  struggle  was  going  on  below,  and  the  mist  was  occasion- 
ally agitated  like  the  sea  when  marine  monsters  are  fighting. 

"  Duke,  Duke !  "  shouted  the  captain,  as  he  made  ready  to 
enter  again  into  the  frost-rime. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Hatteras,  —  wait  a  moment !  It  seems  to  me 
that  the  fog  is  lifting." 

It  was  not  lifting,  but  sinking,  like  water  in  a  pool ;  it  appeared 
to  be  descending  into  the  ground  from  which  it  had  risen ;  the 
summits  of  the  icebergs  grew  larger;  others,  which  had  been 
hidden,  arose  like  new  islands;  by  an  optical  illusion,  which  may 


•• '  Fire  ! '  shouted  the  captain,  discharging  his  piece."—  Page  2n. 


TB^  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  211 

be  easily  imagined,  the  travellers,  clinging  to  these  ice-cones, 
seemed  to  be  rising  in  the  air,  while  the  top  of  the  mist  sank 
beneath  them. 

Soon  the  top  of  the  sledge  appeared,  then  the  harnessed  dogs, 
and  then  about  thirty  other  animals,  then  great  objects  moving 
confusedly,  and  Duke  leaping  about  with  his  head  alternately 
rising  and  sinking  in  the  frozen  mist. 

"  Foxes  ! "  shouted  Bell. 

"  Bears  !  "  said  the  doctor ;   "  one,  two,  three." 

"  Our  dogs,  our  provisions  !  "  cried  Simpson. 

A  troop  of  foxes  and  bears,  having  come  across  the  sledge,  were 
ravaging  the  provisions.  Their  instinct  of  pillaging  united  them 
in  perfect  harmony;  the  dogs  were  barking  furiously,  but  the 
animals  paid  no  heed,  but  went  on  in  their  work  of  destruction. 

"  Fire  !  "  shouted  the  captain,  discharging  his  piece. 

His  companions  did  the  same.  But  at  the  combined  report 
the  bears,  raising  their  heads  and  uttering  a  singular  roar,  gave 
the  signal  to  depart ;  they  fell  into  a  little  trot  which  a  gallop- 
ing horse  could  not  have  kept  up  with,  and,  followed  by  the 
foxes,  they  soon  disappeared  amid  the  ice  to  the  north. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

THE   CAIRN. 

This  phenomenon,  which  is  peculiar  to  the  polar  regions,  had 
lasted  three  quarters  of  an  hour ;  the  bears  and  foxes  had  had 
plenty  of  time;  these  provisions  arrived  opportunely  for  these 
animals,  who  were  nearly  starved  during  the  inclement  weather ; 
the  canvas  cover  of  the  sledge  was  torn  by  their  strong  claws, 
the  casks  of  pemmican  were  opened  and  emptied ;  the  biscuit- 
sacks  pillaged,  the  tea  spilled  over  the  snow,  a  barrel  of  alcohol 
torn  open  and  its  contents  lost,  their  camping  materials  scattered 
and  damaged,  bore  witness  to  the  ferocity  of  these  wild  beasts, 
and  their  greediness. 


212         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

*'  This  is  a  misfortune,"  said  Bell,  gazing  at  this  scene  of  ruin. 

"  Which  is  probably  irreparable,"  said  Simpson. 

"  Let  us  first  estimate  the  loss,"  interrupted  the  doctor,  "  and 
we  '11  talk  about  it  afterwards." 

Hatteras,  without  saying  a  word,  began  to  gather  the  scattered 
boxes  and  sacks ;  they  collected  the  pemmican  and  biscuits  which 
could  be  eaten ;  the  loss  of  part  of  their  alcohol  was  much  to  be 
regretted ;  for  if  that  was  gone  there  would  be  nothing  warm  to 
drink ;  no  tea,  no  coffee.  In  making  an  inventory  of  the  supplies 
left,  the  doctor  found  two  hundred  pounds  of  pemmican  gone,  and 
a  hundred  and 'fifty  pounds  of  biscuit ;  if  their  journey  continued 
they  would  have  to  subsist  on  half-rations. 

They  then  began  to  discuss  what  should  be  done,  whether  they 
should  return  to  the  ship  and  start  out  again.  But  how  could 
they  make  up  their  minds  to  lose  the  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
they  had  already  made  %  To  return  without  fuel  would  have  a 
depressing  effect  upon  the  spirits  of  the  crew.  Could  men  be 
found  again  to  resume  their  march  across  the  ice? 

Evidently  it  was  better  to  push  on,  even  at  the  risk  of  severe 
privations. 

The  doctor,  Hatteras,  and  Bell  were  of  this  opinion ;  Simpson 
wanted  to  go  back ;  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  had  worn  upon  his 
health ;  he  w\as  visibly  weaker ;  but  finding  himself  alone  of  this 
opinion,  he  resumed  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  sledge,  and  the 
little  caravan  continued  its  journey  to  the  south. 

During  the  three  next  days,  from  the  15th  to  the  17th  of  Jan- 
uary, all  the  monotonous  incidents  of  the  voyage  were  repeated  ; 
they  advanced  more  slowly,  and  with  much  fatigue;  their  legs 
grew  tired;  the  dogs  dragged  the  sledge  with  difficulty;  their 
diminished  supply  of  food  could  not  comfort  men  or  beasts.  The 
weather  was  very  variable,  changing  from  intense,  dry  cold  to 
damp,  penetrating  mists. 

January  18th  the  aspect  of  the  ice-fields  changed  suddenly;  a 
great  number  of  peaks,  like  sharp-pointed  pyramids,  and  very 
high,  appeared  at  the  horizon ;  the  ground  in  certain  places  came 
through  the  snow ;  it  seemed  formed  of  gneiss,  schist,  and  quartz, 
with  some  appearance  of  limestone.     The  travellers  at  last  touched 


TEE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE.  213 

earth  again,  and  this  land  they  judged  to  be  that  called  North 
Cornwall. 

The  doctor  could  not  help  striking  the  earth  with  joy ;  they 
had  now  only  a  hundred  miles  to  go  before  reaching  Cape  Belcher, 
but  their  fatigue  increased  strangely  on  this  soil,  covered  with 
sharp  rocks,  and  interspersed  with  dangerous  points,  crevasses, 
and  precipices ;  they  had  to  go  down  into  the  depths  of  these 
abysses,  climb  steep  ascents,  and  cross  narrow  gorges,  in  which 
the  snow  was  drifted  to  the  depth  of  thirty  or  forty  feet. 


The  travellers  soon  regretted  the  almost  easy  journey  over  the 
ice-fields,  which  so  well  suited  the  sledge ;  now  it  had  to  be 
dragged  by  main  force ;  the  weary  dogs  were  insufficient ;  the 
men,  compelled  to  take  their  place  alongside  of  them,  wore  them- 
selves out  with  hauling ;  often  they  had  to  take  off  the  whole 
load  to  get  over  some  steep  hills ;  a  place  only  ten  feet  wide  often 
kept  them  busy  for  hours ;  so  in  this  first  day  they  made  only 
'five  miles  in  North  Cornwall,  which  is  certainly  well  named,  for 
it  exhibits  all  the  roughness,  the  sharp  points,  the  steep  gorges, 
the  confused  rockiness,  of  the  southwest  coast  of  England. 

The  next  day  the  sledge  reached  the  top  of  the  hills  near  the 
shore;  the  exhausted  travellers,  being  unable  to  make  a  snow- 


214         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 


hut,  were  obliged  to  pass  the  night  under  the  tent,  wrapped  up 
in  buffalo-skins,  and  drying  their  wet  stockings  by  placing  them 
about  their  bodies.  The  inevitable  consequences  of  such  conduct 
are  easily  comprehended ;  that  night  the  thermometer  fell  below 
— 44°,  and  the  mercury  froze. 

Simpson's  health  caused  great  anxiety ;  a  persistent  cough, 
violent  rheumatism,  and  intolerable  pain  obliged  him  to  lie  on  the 
sledge  which  he  could  no  longer  guide.  Bell  took  his  place ;  he 
too  was  suffering,  but  not  so  much  as  to  be  incapacitated.  The 
doctor  also  felt  the  consequences  of  this  trip  in  this  terrible 
weather ;  but  he  uttered  no  complaint ;  he  walked  on,  resting  on 
his  staff ;  he  made  out  the  way  and  helped  every  one.  Hatteras, 
impassible,  and  as  strong  as  on  the  first  day,  followed  the  sledge 
in  silence. 

January  20th  the  weather  was  so  severe  that  the  slightest 
effort  produced  complete  prostration.  Still,  the  difficulties  of  the 
way  were  so  great,  that  Hatteras,  the  doctor,  and  Bell  harnessed 
themselves  with  the  dogs ;  sudden  shocks  had  broken  the  front 
of  the  sledge,  and  they  had  to  stop  to  repair  it.  Such  delays 
were  frequent  every  day. 

The  travellers  followed  a  deep  ravine,  up  to  their  waists  in-- 
snow,  and  perspiring  violently  in  spite  of  the  intense  cold.     They 

did  not  say  a  word. 
Suddenly  Bell,  who 
was  near  the  doctor, 
looked  at  him  with 
some  alarm ;  then, 
without  uttering  a 
word,  he  picked  up 
a  handful  of  snow 
and  began  rubbing 
his  companion's  face 
violently. 

"  Well,  Bell ! "  said  the  doctor,  resisting. 
But  Bell  continued  rubbing. 

"  Come,  Bell,"  began  the  doctor  again,  his  mouth,  nose,  and 
eyes  full  of  snow,  **are  you  mad?     Wliat  's  the  matter?" 


f 


TSE  BNaLlSU  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  215 

"If  you  have  a  nose  left,"  answered  Bell,  "you  ought  to  be 
grateful  to  me." 

"  A  nose  !  "  answered  the  doctor,  quickly,  clapping  his  hand  to 
his  face. 

"  Yes,  Doctor,  you  were  frost-bitten ;  your  nose  was  white 
when  I  looked  at  you,  and  if  I  had  not  done  as  I  did,  you  would 
have  lost  that  ornament  which  is  in  the  way  on  a  journey,  but 
agreeable  to  one's  existence." 

In  fact,  the  doctor's  nose  was  almost  frozen ;  the  circulation  of 
the  blood  was  restored  in  time,  and,  thanks  to  Bell,  all  danger  was 
gone. 

"Thanks,  Bell!"  said  the  doctor;  "I'll  be  even  with  you 
jet." 

"  I  hope  so.  Doctor,"  the  carpenter  answered ;  "  and  may  Heaven 
protect  us  from  worse  misfortunes  ! " 

"Alas,  Bell,"  continued  the  doctor,  "you  mean  Simpson  !  The 
poor  fellow  is  suffering  terribly." 

"Do  you  fear  for  his  life  1 "  asked  Hatteras,  quickly. 

"  Yes,  Captain,"  answered  the  doctor. 

"And  why r' 

"  He  has  a  violent  attack  of  scurvy ;  his  legs  have  begun  to 
swell,  and  his  gums  too ;  the  poor  fellow  lies  half  frozen  on  the 
sledge,  and  every  movement  redoubles  his  suffering.  I  pity  him, 
Hatteras,  and  I  can't  do  anything  to  relieve  him." 

"  Poor  Simpson  !  "  murmured  Bell. 

"  Perhaps  we  shall  have  to  halt  for  a  day  or  two,"  resumed  the 
doctor. 

"  Halt  ! "  shouted  Hatteras,  "  when  the  livfes  of  eighteen  men 
are  hanging  on  our  return  !  " 

"  Still  —  "  said  the  doctor. 

"  Clawbonny,  Bell,  listen  to  me,"  said  Hatteras ;  "we  have  food 
for  only  twenty  days  !  Judge  for  yourselves  whether  we  can  stop 
for  a  moment  !  " 

Neither  the  doctor  nor  Bell  made  any  reply,  and  the  sledge 

resumed   its  progi-ess,  which  had  been  delayed  for  a  moment. 

That  evening  they  stopped  beneath  a  hillock  of  ice,  in  which  Bell 

at  once  cut  a  cavern ;  the  travellers  entered  it ;  the  doctor  passed 
34 


216         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTER  AS. 

the  night  attending  to  Simpson ;  the  "scurvy  had  already  made 
fearful  ravages,  and  his  sufferings  caused  perpetual  laments  to 
issue  from  his  swollen  lips. 

"  Ah,  Dr.  Clawbonny  !  " 

"  Courage,  my  dear  fellow  !  "  said  the  doctor. 

"  I  shall  never  get  well !     I  feel  it !     I  'd  rather  die  !  " 

The  doctor  answered  these  despairing  words  by  incessant  cares  ; 
although  worn  out  by  the  fatigue  of  the  day,  he  spent  the  night 
in  composing  a  soothing  potion  for  his  patient ;  but  the  lime-juice 
was  ineffectual,  and  continual  friction  could  not  keep  down  the 
progress  of  the  scurvy. 


The  next  day  he  had  to  be  placed  again  upon  the  sledge, 
although  he  besought  them  to  leave  him  behind  to  die  in  peace  ; 
then  they  resumed  their  dreary  and  difficult  march. 

The  frozen  mists  penetrated  the  three  men  to  the  bone ;  the 
snow  and  sleet  dashed  against  them ;  they  w^ere  working  like 
draught-horses,  and  with  a  scanty  supply  of  food, 

Duke,  like  his  master,  kept  coming  and  going,  enduring  every 
fatigue,  always  alert,  finding  out  by  himself  the  best  path ;  they 
had  perfect  confidence  in  his  wonderful  instinct. 

During  the  morning  of  January  23d,  amid  almost  total  dark- 


THE  ENGLISB  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  217 

ness,  for  the  moon  was  new,  Duke  had  run  on  ahead ;  for  many 
hours  he  was  not  seen ;  Hatteras  became  uneasy,  especially  be- 
cause there  were  many  traces  of  bears  to  be  seen ;  he  was  uncer- 
tain what  to  do,  when  suddenly  a  loud  barking  was  heard. 

Hatteras  urged  on  the  sledge,  and  soon  he  found  the  faithful 
animal  at  the  bottom  of  a  ravine.  Duke  stood  as  motionless  as 
if  turned  to  stone,  barking  before  a  sort  of  cairn  made  of  pieces 
of  limestone,  covered  with  a  cement  of  ice. 

"  This  time,"  said  the  doctor,  detaching  his  harness,  "  it 's  a 
cairn,  there  's  no  doubt  of  that." 

"  What 's  that  to  us  %  "  asked  Hatteras. 

"  Hatteras,  if  it  is  a  cairn,  it  may  contain  some  document  of 
value  for  us;  perhaps  some  provisions,  and  it  would  be  worth 
while  to  see." 

"  What  European  could  have  come  as  far  as  this  % "  asked  Hat- 
teras, shrugging  his  shoulders. 

"But  in  lack  of  Europeans,"  answered  the  doctor,  "cannot 
Esquimaux  have  made  it  here  to  contain  what  they  have  fished 
or  shot  1     It 's  their  habit,  I  think." 

"  Well,  go  and  look  at  it,"  continued  Hatteras ;  "  but  I  'm 
afraid  it  will  be  hardly  worth  your  while." 

Clawbonny  and  Bell  walked  to  the  cairn  with  picks  in  their 
hands.  Duke  continued  barking  furiously.  The  limestones  were 
firmly  fastened  together  by  the  ice;  but  a  few  blows  scattered 
them  on  the  ground. 

"  There  *s  something  there,  evidently,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  I  think  so,"  answered  Bell. 

They  rapidly  destroyed  the  cairn.  Soon  they  found  a  bundle 
and  in  it  a  damp  paper.  The  doctor  took  it  with  a  beating  heart. 
Hatteras  ran  forward,  seized  the  paper,  and  read  :  — 

"Altam  ....  Pojyoise,  December  13,  1860,  longitude  12°, 
latitude  8°  35'." 

"  The  Porpoise  ?  "  said  the  doctor. 

"  The  Porpoise  !  "  replied  Hatteras.  "  I  never  heard  of  a  ship 
of  this  name  in  these  seas." 

"It  is  clear,"  resumed  the  doctor,  "that  travellers,  perhaps 
shipwrecked  sailors,  have  been  here  within  two  months." 


218  ^^^  ADVmTURES  OF  G APT  AM  HATTERAS. 

"  That  is  sure,"  said  Bell. 

"  What  are  we  going  to  do  1 "  asked  the  doctor. 

"Push  on,"  answered  Hatteras,  coldly.  "I  don't  know  any- 
thing about  any  ship  called  the  Porpoise,  but  I  know  that  the 
brig  Forward  is  waiting  for  our  return." 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

THE    DEATH    OF   SIMPSON. 

They  resumed  their  journey ;  the  mind  of  every  one  was  filled 
with  new  and  unexpected  ideas,  for  to  meet  any  one  in  these 
regions  is  about  the  most  remarkable  event  that  can  happen. 
Hatteras  frowned  uneasily. 

"The  Porpoise!''  he  kept  saying  to  himself;  "what  ship  is 
thati     And  what  is  it  doing  so  near  the  PoleT' 

At  the  thought,  he  shuddered.  The  doctor  and  Bell  only 
thought  of  the  two  results  which  might  follow  the  discovery  of 
this  document,  that  they  might  be  of  service  in  saving  some  one, 
or,  possibly,  that  they  might  be  saved  by  them;  But  the  diffi- 
culties, obstacles,  and  dangers  soon  returned,  and  they  could  only 
think  of  their  perilous  position. 

Simpson's  condition  grew  worse ;  the  doctor  could  not  be  mis- 
taken about  the  symptoms  of  a  speedy  death.  He  could  do 
nothing ;  he  was  himself  suffering  from  a  painful  ophthalmia, 
which  might  be  accompanied  by  deafness  if  he  did  not  take  care. 
The  twilight  at  that  time  gave  light  enough,  and  this  light, 
reflected  by  the  snow,  was  bad  for  the  eyes ;  it  was  hard  to  pro- 
tect them  from  the  reflection,  for  glasses  would  be  soon  covered 
with  a  layer  of  ice  which  rendered  them  useless.  Hence  they 
had  to  guard  carefully  against  accident  by  the  way,  and  they  had 
to  run  the  risk  of  ophthalmia ;  still,  the  doctor  and  Bell  covered 
their  eyes  and  took  turns  in  guiding  the  sledge.  It  ran  far  from 
smoothly  on  its  worn  runners ;  it  became  harder  and  harder  to 
drag  it  j  their  path  grew  more  difficult  \  the  land  was  of  volcanic 


"They  could  only  think  of  their  perilous  position."  —  Page  218. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT   THE  NORTH  POLE. 


219 


origin,  and  all  cut  up  with  craters ;  the  travellers  had  been  com- 
pelled gradually  to  ascend  fifteen  hundred  feet  to  reach  the  top 
of  the  mountains.  The  temperature  was  lower,  the  storms  were 
more  violent,  and  it  was  a  sorry  sight  to  see  these  poor  men  on 
these  lonely  peaks. 


They  were  also  made  sick  by  the  whiteness  of  everything ;  the 
uniform  brilliancy  tired  them ;  it  made  them  giddy ;  the  earth 
seemed  to  wave  beneath  their  feet  with  no  fixed  point  on  the  im- 
mense white  surface ;  they  felt  as  one  does  on  shipboard  when 
the  deck  seems  to  be  giving  way  beneath  the  foot;  they  could 
not  get  over  the  impression,  and  the  persistence  of  the  feeling 
wearied  their  heads.  Their  limbs  grew  torpid,  their  minds  grew 
dull,  and  often  they  w^alked  like  men  half  asleep ;  then  a  slip  or 
a  sudden  fall  would  rouse  them  for  a  few  moments  from  their 
sluggishness. 

January  25th  they  began  to  descend  the  steep  slopes,  which 
was  even  more  fatiguing  ;  a  false  step,  which  it  was  by  no  means 
easy  to  avoid,  might  hurl  them  down  into  deep  ravines  where 
they  would  certainly  have  perished.  Towards  evening  a  violent 
tempest  raged  about  the  snowy  summit;  it  was  impossible  to 
withstand  the  force  of  the  humcane;  they  had  to  lie  down  on 


220  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBAS. 

the  ground,  but  so  low  was  the  temperature  that  they  ran  a  risk 
of  being  frozen  to  death  at  once. 

Bell, -with  Hatteras's  aid,  built  with  much  difficulty  a  snow- 
house,  in  which  the  poor  men  sought  shelter ;  there  they  partook 
of  a  few  fragments  of  pemmican  and  a  little  hot  tea ;  only  four 
gallons  of  alcohol  were  left;  and  they  had  to  use  this  to  allay 
their  thirst,  for  snow  cannot  be  absorbed  if  taken  in  its  natural 
state ;  it  has  to  be  melted  first.  In  the  temperate  zone,  where 
the  cold  hardly  ever  sinks  much  below  the  freezing-point,  it  can 
do  no  harm ;  but.  beyond  the  Polar  Circle  it  is  different ;  it 
reaches  so  low  a  temperature  that  the  bare  hand  can  no  more 
touch  it  than  it  can  iron  at  a  white  heat,  and  this,  although  it  is 
a  very  poor  conductor  of  heat ;  so  great  is  the  difference  of  tem- 
perature between  it  and  the  stomach  that  its  absorption  produces 
real  suffocation.  The  Esquimaux  prefer  severe  thirst  to  quench- 
ing it  with  this  snow,  which  does  not  replace  water,  and  only  aug- 
ments the  thirst  instead  of  appeasing  it.  The  only  way  the  trav- 
ellers could  make  use  of  it  was  by  melting  it  over  the  spirit- 
la  qi  p. 

At  three  in  the  morning,  when  the  tempest  was  at  its  height, 
the  doctor  took  his  turn  at  the  watch ;  he  was  lying  in  a  corner 

of  the  hut  when  a 
groan     of     distress 
from     Simpson     at- 
tracted    his    atten- 
tion ;     he   arose   to 
see  to  him,   but  in 
rising  he  hit  his  head 
sharply  against  the 
icy    roof;     without 
paying    any    atten- 
tion to  that,  he  bent 
over    Simpson   and 
began  to  rub  his  swollen,  discolored  legs ;  after  doing  this  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  he  started  to  rise,  and  bumped  his  head  again, 
although  he  was  on  his  knees. 
"  That 's  odd,"  he  said  to  himself. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


221 


He  raised  his  hand  above  his  head ;  the  roof  was  perceptibly 
sinking. 

"  Great  God  ! "  he  cried ;  "  wake  up,  my  friends  !  " 

At  his  shouts  Hatteras  and  Bell  arose  quickly,  striking  their 
heads  against  the  roof;  they  were  in  total  darkness. 

"  We  shall  be  crushed  !  "  said  the  doctor ;  "  let 's  get  out ! " 

And  all  three,  dragging  Simpson  after  them,  abandoned  their 
dangerous  quarters ;  and  it  was  high  time,  for  the  blocks  of  ice, 
ill  put  together,  fell  with  a  loud  crash. 

The  poor  men  found  themselves  then  without  shelter  against 
the  hurricane.  Hatteras  attempted  to  raise  the  tent,  but  it  was 
impossible,  so  severe  was  the  wind,  and  they  had  to  shelter  them- 
selves beneath  the  canvas,  which  was  soon  covered  with  a  thick 
layer  of  snow;  but  this  snow  prevented  the  radiation  of  their 
warmth  and  kept  them  from  being  frozen  to  death. 

The  storm  lasted  all  night ;  Bell,  when  he  was  harnessing  the 
half -starved  dogs,  noticed  that  three  of  them  had  begun  to  eat 
the  leather  straps ;  two  were  very  sick  and  seemed  unable  to  go 
on.  Still,  they  set  out  as  well  as  they  could ;  they  had  sixty 
miles  between  them  and  the  point  they  wished  to  reach. 

On  the  26th,  Bell,  who  was  ahead,  shouted  suddenly  to  his  com- 
panions. They  ran 
towards  him,  and  he 
pointed  with  aston- 
ishment to  a  gun 
resting  on  a  piece  of 
ice. 

"  A  gun  ! "  cried 
the  doctor. 

Hatteras  took  it ; 
it  was  in  good  con- 
dition, and  loaded. 

"  The  men  of  the  Porpoise  can't  be  far  off." 

Hatteras,  as  he  was  examining  the  gun,  noticed  that  it  was  of 
American  make ;  his  hands  clinched  nervously  its  barrel. 

"  Forward  !  "  he  said  calmly. 

They  continued  to  descend  the  mountains.  Simpson  seemed 
deprived  of  all  feeling ;  he  had  not  even  strength  left  to  moan. 


222  'THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

The  tempest  continued  to  rage ;  the  sledge  went  on  more  and 
more  slowly;  they  made  but  a  few  miles  in  twenty-four  hours, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  strictest  economy,  their  supplies  threatened 
to  give  out ;  but  so  long  as  enough  was  left  to  carry  them  back, 
Hatteras  pushed  on. 

On  the  27th  they  found,  partly  buried  beneath  the  snow,  a  sex- 
tant and  then  a  flask,  which  contained  brandy,  or  rather  a  piece 
of  ice,  in  the  middle  of  which  all  the  spirit  of  the  liquor  had  col- 
lected in  the  form  of  snow ;  it  was  of  no  use. 

Evidently,  without  meaning  it,  Hatteras  was  following  in  the 
wake  of  some  great  disaster;  he  went  on  by  the  only  possible 
route,  collecting  the  traces  of  some  terrible  shipwreck.  The 
doctor  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for  other  cairns,  but  in  vain. 

Sad  thoughts  beset  him :  in  fact,  if  he  should  discover  these 
wretches,  of  what  service  could  he  be  to  them  %  He  and  his  com- 
panions were  beginning  to  lack  everything ;  their  clothing  was 
torn,  their  supplies  were  scanty.  If  the  survivors  were  many, 
they  would  all  starve  to  death.  Hatteras  seemed  inclined  to  flee 
from  them !  Was  he  not  justified,  since  the  safety  of  the  crew 
depended  upon  him  1  Ought  he  to  endanger  the  safety  of  all  by 
bringing  strangers  on  board  1 

But  then  strangers  were  men,  perhaps  their  countrymen ! 
Slight  as  was  their  chance  of  safety,  ought  they  to  be  deprived 
of  it  1  The  doctor  wanted  to  get  Bell's  opinion ;  but  Bell  refused 
to  answer.  His  own  sufferings  had  hardened  his  heart.  Claw- 
bonny  did  not  dare  ask  Hatteras :  so  he  sought  aid  from  Provi- 
dence. 

Towards  the  evening  of  that  day,  Simpson  appeared  to  be  fail- 
ing fast;  his  cold,  stiff*  limbs,  his  impeded  breathing,  which 
formed  a  mist  about  his  head,  his  convulsive  movements,  an- 
nounced that  his  last  hour  had  come.  His  expression  was  ter- 
rible to  behold ;  it  was  despairing,  with  a  look  of  impotent  rage 
at  the  captain.  It  contained  a  whole  accusation,  mute  reproaches 
which  were  full  of  meaning,  and  perhaps  deserved. 

Hatteras  did  not  go  near  the  dying  man.  He  avoided  him, 
more  silent,  more  shut  into  himself  than  ever ! 

The  following  night  was  a  terrible  one ;   the  violence  of  the 


Suddenly,  with  a  last  effort,  he  half  rose."  —  Page  223. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  223 

tempest  was  doubled ;  three  times  the  tent  was  thrown  over,  and 
snow  was  blown  over  the  suffering  men,  blinding  them,  and 
wounding  them  with  the  pieces  torn  from  the  neighboring  masses. 
The  dogs  barked  incessantly.  Simpson  was  exposed  to  all  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather.  Bell  succeeded  in  again  raising  the 
canvas,  which,  if  it  did  not  protect  them  from  the  cold,  at  least 
kept  off  the  snow.  But  a  sudden  squall  blew  it  down  for  the 
fourth  time  and  carried  it  away  with  a  fierce  blast. 

"  Ah,  that  is  too  much !  "  shouted  Bell. 

"Courage,  courage!"  answered  the  doctor,  stooping  down  to 
escape  being  blown  away. 

Simpson  was  gasping  for  breath.  Suddenly,  with  a  last  effort, 
he  half  rose,  stretched  his  clinched  fist  at  Hatteras,  who  was 
gazing  steadily  at  him,  uttered  a  heart-rending  cry,  and  fell  back 
dead  in  the  midst  of  his  unfinished  thceat. 

"  Dead ! "  said  the  doctor. 

"Dead!"  repeated  Bell. 

Hatteras,  who  was  approaching  the  corpse,  drew  back  before 
the  violence  of  the  wind. 

He  was  the  first  of  the  crew  who  succumbed  to  the  murderous 
climate,  the  first  to  offer  up  his  life,  after  incalculable  sufferings, 
to  the  captain's  persistent  obstinacy.  This  man  had  considered 
him  an  assassin,  but  Hatteras  did  not  quail  before  the  accusation. 
But  a  tear,  falling  from  his  eyes,  froze  on  his  pale  cheek. 

The  doctor  and  Bell  looked  at  him  in  terror.  Supported  by 
his  long  staff,  he  seemed  like  the  genius  of  these  regions,  straight 
in  the  midst  of  the  fierce  blast,  and  terrible  in  his  stern  severity. 

He  remained  standing,  without  stirring,  till  the  first  rays  of 
the  twilight  appeared,  bold  and  unconquerable,  and  seeming  to 
defy  the  tempest  which  was  roaring  about  him. 


224         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTEBA8. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

THE   RETURN    TO   THE   FORWARD. 

Toward  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  wind  fell,  and,  shifting 
suddenly  to  the  north,  it  cleared  the  clouds  from  the  sky;  the 
thermometer  stood  at  — 33°.  The  first  rays  of  the  twilight 
appeared  on  the  horizon  above  which  it  would  soon  peer. 


Hatteras  approached  his  two  dejected  companions  and  said  to 
them,  sadly  and  gently, — 

"  My  friends,  we  are  more  than  sixty  miles  from  the  point  men- 
tioned by  Sir  Edward  Belcher.  We  have  only  just  enough  food 
left  to  take  us  back  to  the  ship.  To  go  farther  would  only  ex- 
pose us  to  certain  death,  without  our  being  of  service  to  any  one. 
We  must  return." 

"  That  is  a  wise  decision,  Hatteras,"  answered  the  doctor ;  *'  I 
should  have  followed  you  anywhere,  but  we  are  all  growing 
weaker  every  day ;  we  can  hardly  set  one  foot  before  the  other ; 
I  approve  of  returning." 


THE  EmLtSS  AT  THE  NORTH  PoLS. 


225 


"  Is  that  your  opinion,  Bell  1 "  asked  Hatteras. 

"  Yes,  Captain,"  answered  the  carpenter. 

"  Well,"  continued  Hatteras,  "  we  will  take  two  days  for  rest. 
That 's  not  too  much.  The  sledge  needs  a  great  many  repairs. 
I  think,  too,  we  ought  to  build  a  snow-house  in  which  we  can 
repose." 

This  being  decided,  the  three  men  set  to  work  energetically. 
Bell  took  the  necessary  precautions  to  insure  the  solidity  of  the 
building,  and  soon  a  satisfactory  retreat  arose  at  the  bottom  of 
the  ravine  where  they  had  last  halted. 


It  was  doubtless  after  a  hard  struggle  that  Hatteras  had  de- 
cided to  discontinue  his  journey.  So  much  effort  and  fatigue 
thrown  away !  A  useless  trip,  entailing  the  death  of  one  of  his 
men !  To  return  without  a  scrap  of  coal :  what  would  the  crew 
say  1  What  might  it  not  do  under  the  lead  of  Shandon  %  But 
Hatteras  could  not  continue  the  struggle  any  longer. 

He  gave  all  his  attention  to  their  preparations  for  returning ; 
the  sledge  was  repaired ;  its  load,  too,  had  become  much  lighter, 
and  only  weighed  two  hundred  pounds.  They  mended  their 
worn-out,  torn  clothes,  all  soaked  through  and  through  by  the 
snow ;   new  moccasins  and  snow-shoes  replaced  those  which  were 


226  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

no  longer  serviceable.  This  kept  them  busy  the  whole  of  the 
29th  and  the  morning  of  the  30th ;  then  they  all  sought  what 
rest  they  could  get,  and  prepared  for  what  was  before  them. 

During  the  thirty-six  hours  spent  in  or  near  the  snow-house, 
the  doctor  had  been  noticing  Duke,  whose  singular  behavior  did 
not  seem  to  him  to  be  natural ;  the  dog  kept  going  in  circles 
which  seemed  to  have  a  common  centre ;  there  was  a  sort  of  ele- 
vation in  the  soil,  produced  by  accumulated  layers  of  ice ;  Duke, 
as  he  ran  around  this  place,  kept  barking  gently  and  wagging  his 
tail  impatiently,  looking  at  his  master  as  if  asking  something. 

The  doctor,  after  reflecting  a  moment,  ascribed  this  uneasiness 
to  the  presence  of  Simpson's  corpse,  w^hich  his  companions  had  not 
yet  had  time  to  bury.  Hence  he  resolved  to  proceed  to  this  sad 
ceremony  on  that  very  day ;  the  next  morning  they  were  to  start. 
Bell  and  the  doctor,  picks  in  hand,  went  to  the  bottom  of  the 
ravine  ;  the  elevation  which  Duke  had  noticed  offered  a  suitable 
place  for  the  grave,  which  would  have  to  be  dug  deep  to  escape 
the  bears.  ^ 

The  doctor  and  Bell  began  by  removing  the  soft  snow,  then  i 
they  attacked  the  solid  ice;  at  the  third  blow  of  his  pick  the 
doctor  struck  against  some  hard  body ;  he  picked  up  the  pieces 
and  found  them  the  fragments  of  a  glass  bottle.  Bell  brought 
to  light  a  stiffened  bag,  in  which  were  a  few  crumbs  of  fresh 
biscuit. 

"  What 's  this  ? "  said  the  doctor. 

"  What  can  it  be  1 "  asked  Bell,  stopping  his  work. 

The  doctor  called  to  Hatteras,  who  came  at  once. 

Duke  barked  violently,  and  with  his  paws  tried  to  tear  up  the 
ice. 

"  Have  we  by  any  possibility  come  across  a  supply  of  provis- 
ions % "  said  the  doctor. 

"  It  looks  like  it,"  answered  Bell. 

"Go  on !  "  said  Hatteras. 

A  few  bits  of  food  were  found  and  a  box  quarter  full  of  pem- 
mican. 

"  IJ  we  have,"  said  Hatteras,  "  the  bears  have  visited  it  before 
we  did.     See,  these  provisions  have  been  touched  already." 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  227 

"It  is  to  be  feared,"  answered  the  doctor,  "for  —  " 

He  did  not  finish  his  sentence ;  a  cry  from  Bell  interrupted 
him;  he  had  turned  over  a  tolerably  large  piece  of  ice  and 
showed  a  stiff,  frozen  human  leg  in  the  ice. 

"  A  corpse  ! "  cried  the  doctor. 

"  It 's  a  grave,"  said  Hatteras. 

It  was  the  body  of  a  sailor  about  thirty  years  old,  in  a 
perfect  state  of  preservation ;  he  wore  the  usual  dress  of  Arc- 
tic sailors;  the  doctor  could  not  say  how  long  he  had  been 
dead. 

After  this,  Bell  found  another  corpse,  that  of  a  man  of  fifty, 
exhibiting  traces  of  the  sufferings  that  had  killed  him. 


"They  were  never  buried,"  cried  the  doctor;  "these  poor  men 
were  surprised  by  death  as  we  find  them." 

"  You  are  right.  Doctor,"  said  Bell. 

"  Go  on,  go  on  ! "  said  Hatteras. 

Bell  hardly  dared.  Who  could  say  how  many  corpses  lay 
hidden  here  1 

"  They  were  the  victims  of  just  such  an  accident  as  we  nearly 
perished  by,"  said  the  doctor  ;  "  their  snow-house  fell  in.  Let  us 
see  if  one  may  not  be  breathing  yet  !  " 


228 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HAT T ERAS. 


The  place  was  rapidly  cleared  away,  and  Bell  brought  up  a 
third  body,  that  of  a  man  of  forty ;  he  looked  less  like  a  corpse 
than  the  others ;  the  doctor  bent  over  him  and  thought  he  saw 
some  signs  of  life. 

"  He  's  alive  ! "  he  shouted. 

Bell  and  he  carried  this  body  into  the  snow-house,  while  Hat- 
teras  stood  in  silence,  gazing  at  the  sunken  dwelling. 


The  doctor  stripped  the  body  ;  it  bore  no  signs  of  injury ;  with 
Bell's  aid  he  rubbed  it  vigorously  with  tow  dipped  in  alcohol, 
and  he  saw  life  gradually  reviving  within  it ;  but  the  man  was 
in  a  state  of  complete  prostration,  and  unable  to  speak ;  his 
tongue  clove  to  his  palate  as  if  it  were  frozen. 

The  doctor  examined  his  patient's  pockets ;  they  were  empty. 
No  paper.  He  let  Bell  continue  rubbing,  and  went  out  to 
Hatteras. 

He  found  him  in  the  ruined  snow-house,  clearing  away  the 
floor ;  soon  he  came  out,  bearing  a  half-burned  piece  of  an  enve- 
lope.    A  few  words  could  be  deciphered  :  — 

....  tamont   ' 
....  orpoise 
.  .  .  .  w  York. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  229 

**  Altamont !  "  shouted  the  doctor,  "of  the  Porpoise!  of  New 
York ! " 

"  An  American  !  "  said  Hatteras. 

"  I  shall  save  him,"  said  the  doctor ;  "  I  '11  answer  for  it,  and 
we  shall  find  out  the  explanation  of  this  puzzle." 

He  returned  to  Altamont,  while  Hatteras  remained  pensive. 
The  doctor  succeeded  in  recalling  the  unfortunate  man  to  life, 
but  not  to  consciousness ;  he  neither  saw,  heard,  nor  spoke,  but 
at  any  rate  he  was  alive  ! 

The  next  morning  Hatteras  said  to  the  doctor,  — 

"  We  must  start." 

"  All  right,  Hatteras  !  The  sledge  is  not  loaded ;  we  shall  carry 
this  poor  fellow  back  to  the  ship  with  us. 

"Very  well,"  said  Hatteras.  "But  first  let  us  bury  these 
corpses." 

The  two  unknown  sailors  were  placed  beneath  the  ruins  of  the 
snow-house ;  Simpson's  body  took  the  place  of  Altamont's. 

The  three  travellers  uttered  a  short  prayer  over  their  com- 
panion, and  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  set  off  again 
for  the  ship. 

Two  of  the  dogs  were  dead.  Duke  volunteered  to  drag  the 
sledge,  and  he  worked  as  resolutely  as  a  Greenland  dog. 

For  twenty  days,  from  January  31st  to  February  19th,  the  re- 
turn was  very  much  like  the  first  part  of  the  journey.  Save  that 
it  was  in  the  month  of  February,  the  coldest  of  the  whole  year, 
and  the  ice  was  harder ;  the  travellers  suffered  terribly  from  the 
cold,  but  not  from  the  wind  or  snow-storm. 

The  sun  reappeared  for  the  first  time  January  31st ;  every  day 
it  rose  higher  above  the  horizon.  Bell  and  the  doctor  were  at 
the  end  of  their  strength,  almost  blind  and  quite  lame ;  the  car- 
penter could  not  walk  without  clutches.  Altamont  was  alive,  but 
continued  insensible ;  sometimes  his  life  was  despaired  of,  but 
unremitting  care  kept  him  alive  !  And  yet  the  doctor  needed  to 
take  the  greatest  care  of  himself,  for  his  health  was  beginning  to 
suffer. 

Hatteras  thought  of  the  Forward  !  In  what  condition  was  he 
going  to  find  it  %     What  had  happened  on  board  %     Had  Johnson 


230         THE  ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  HATTERAS. 

been  able  to  withstand  Shandon  and  his  allies  1  The  cold  had 
been  terrible  !  Had  they  burned  the  ship  %  Had  they  spared  her 
masts  and  keel  ? 

While  thinking  of  this,  Hatteras  walked  on  as  if  he  had  wished 
to  get  an  early  view  of  the  Forward. 

February  24th,  in  the  morning,  he  stopped  suddenly.  Three 
hundred  paces  before  him  appeared  a  reddish  glow,  above  which 
rose  an  immense  column  of  black  smoke,  which  was  lost  in  the 
gray  clouds  of  the  sky. 

"  See  that  smoke  !  "  he  shouted. 

His  heart  beat  as  if  it  would  burst. 

*'  See  that  smoke  !  "  he  said  to  his  companions.  "  My  ship  is 
on  fire  !  ^' 

"  But  we  are  more  than  three  miles  from  it,"  said  Bell.  "  It 
can't  be  the  Forward  !  " 

"Yes,  but  it  is,"  answered  the  doctor;  "the  mirage  makes  it 
seem  nearer." 

"  Let  us  run  !  "  cried  Hatteras. 

They  left  the  sledge  in  charge  of  Duke,  and  hastened  after  the 
captain.  An  hour  later  they  came  in  sight  of  the  ship.  A  terri- 
ble sight !  The  brig  was  burning  in  the  midst  of  the  ice,  which 
was  melting  about  her;  the  flames  were  lapping  her  hull,  and 
the  southerly  breeze  brought  to  Hatteras's  ears  unaccustomed 
sounds. 

Five  hundred  feet  from  the.  ship  stood  a  man  raising  his  hands 
in  despair ;  he  stood  there,  powerless,  facing  the  fire  which  was 
destroying  the  Forward. 

The  man  was  alone ;  it  was  Johnson. 

Hatteras  ran  towards  him. 

"  My  ship  !  my  ship  !  "  he  cried. 

"  You  !  Captain  ! "  answered  Johnson ;  "  you  !  stop  !  not  a  step 
farther !  " 

"  Well  ? "  asked  Hatteras  with  a  terrible  air. 

"  The  wretches  !  "  answered  Johnson,  "  they  've  been  gone 
forty-eight  hours,  after  firing  the  ship  !  " 

"  Curse  them  !  "  groaned  Hatteras. 

Then  a  terrible  explosion  was  heard ;  the  earth  trembled  ;  the 


'  Then  a  terrible  explosion  was  heard."  —  Page  230. 


THE  ENGLISH  AT  THE  NORTH  POLE.  231 

icebergs  fell ;  a  column  of  smoke  rose  to  the  clouds,  and  the 
Forward  disappeared  in  an  abyss  of  fire. 

At  that  moment  the  doctor  and  Bell  came  up  to  Hatteras.  He 
roused  himself  suddenly  from  his  despair. 

"My  friends,"  he  said  energetically,  "the  cowards  have  taken 
flight !  The  brave  will  succeed  !  Johnson,  Bell,  you  are  bold ; 
Doctor,  you  are  wise ;  as  for  me,  I  have  faith  !  There  is  the 
North  Pole  !     Come,  to  work  !  " 

Hatteras's  companions  felt  their  hearts  glow  at  these  brave 
words. 

And  yet  the  situation  was  terrible  for  these  four  men  and  the 
dying  man,  abandoned  w^ithout  supplies,  alone  at  the  eighty- 
fourth  degree  of  latitude,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  polar  regions. 


GENERAL  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA—BERKELEY 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or  on  the 

date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


3Feb55JL| 


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JUN     7  1984 


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